The self and its display: the role of local and global ...

The self and its display: the role of local and global symbols in

retail consumptionscapes

Linda Moodley

Student number 15388728

A research project submitted to the Gordon Institute of Business Science,

University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of

Master of Business Administration.

07 November 2016

© University of Pretoria

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Abstract

This research study explores the influence of identity display and resolution in a shared

consumption landscape, that of retail theatre. The objective is to gain insights into

creolisation of consumer culture against a backdrop of increasing globalisation, as

consumers’ dispositions shift toward acculturation and multiple identities as global

citizens. Research into consumer identity and acculturation contributes toward an

understanding of the global village in the South African landscape as an emerging and

dynamic economy, so as to inform enhanced branding strategies with brand resilience

and relevance.

In a social constructivist philosophy, a qualitative approach was used to conduct twelve

semi-structured interviews at four shopping malls in Johannesburg to explore if

consumers are inclined to move toward a homogenous global identity, and how this

influences expressions of local cultural identities. The findings bears relevance to the

field of marketing, as brand custodians and shopping centres continuously work toward

building a psychographic profile of culturally diverse and complex markets. This work

relies on the exant literature for Consumer Culture Theory, Acculturation Theory,

Postcolonial Theory and Globalisation Theory, attempting to understand its application

in an emerging econcomy with recommendations to management from the research

findings. Insights are given into the creolised consumers’ identity, their role in retail

theatre and how their identities shape their experiences at shopping centres as

cathedrals of consumption.

Keywords

Creolisation, Consumptionscapes, Consumer identity, Globalisation, Retail Theatre


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Declaration

I declare that this research project is my own work. It is submitted in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the degree of Master of Business Administration at the Gordon

Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. It has not been submitted before for

any degree or examination in any other University. I further declare that I have obtained

the necessary authorisation and consent to carry out this research.

_______________________

Linda Moodley

_______________________

Date


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Table of Contents

Abstract ....................................................................................................................... i

Keywords .................................................................................................................... i

Declaration ................................................................................................................. ii

LIST OF APPENDICES............................................................................................. vi

LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... vi

LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... vi

1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1

1.1 Definition of Problem and Purpose ................................................................. 1

1.2 Research Problem ......................................................................................... 2

1.3 Research Scope............................................................................................. 4

1.4 Document Scope ............................................................................................ 5

1.4.1 Chapter one: Introduction ........................................................................ 5

1.4.2 Chapter two: Literature Review ............................................................... 5

1.4.3 Chapter three: Research Question .......................................................... 5

1.4.4 Chapter four: Methodology ...................................................................... 5

1.4.5 Chapter five: Results ............................................................................... 5

1.4.6 Chapter six: Discussion of results ........................................................... 5

1.4.7 Chapter seven: Conclusion ..................................................................... 6

2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW .......................................................... 7

2.1 Retail Consumptionscapes ............................................................................. 7

2.2 Shopping Centres: Cathedrals of consumption .............................................. 8

2.3 Postcolonial Identity and Conspicuous Consumption ....................................10

2.4 The Global Village .........................................................................................14

2.5 The Cosmopolitan Paradox: The Global/Local Continuum ............................15

2.6 Creolisation ...................................................................................................17

2.7 Ethnocentrism ...............................................................................................19

2.8 Conclusion ....................................................................................................19


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3 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH QUESTION .................................................. 21

3.1 Central Research Question ...........................................................................21

4 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ........................................... 22

4.1 Research Philosophy, Design and Method ....................................................22

Research Philosophy: Social Constructivist (Interpretivist) .....................23

4.1.2 Research Design: Qualitative, Exploratory ............................................23

4.1.3 Research Approach: Inductive, Semi-structured interview ......................23

4.2 Population .....................................................................................................24

4.3 Unit of Analysis .............................................................................................26

4.4 Sampling Method and Size ...........................................................................27

4.4.1 Tier 1 Sample: Regional Shopping Centres............................................28

4.4.2 Tier 2 Sample: Shoppers ........................................................................28

4.5 Data Gathering Process ................................................................................29

Ethical Considerations and Research environment ................................29

4.5.2 Research Instrument ..............................................................................32

4.6 Data Analysis ................................................................................................33

4.6.1 Transcript Preparation ............................................................................33

4.6.2 Analysis Tool ..........................................................................................33

4.6.3 Method of Analysis .................................................................................33

4.7 Research Validity, Reliability and Triangulation .............................................34

4.8 Pre-testing .....................................................................................................35

4.9 Limitations of the study..................................................................................35

5 CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS ............................................................................. 37

5.1 Shopping Centre Profile ................................................................................37

5.2 Details of Participants Interviewed ................................................................38

5.3 Participants’ Profile .......................................................................................38

5.4 The Interview Method ....................................................................................40

5.5 Transcription and Verification ........................................................................43

5.4 Transcript Coding and Analysis .....................................................................43


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5.6.1 Transcript Preparation and Management ...............................................43

5.6.2 Transcript Coding ...................................................................................44

5.7 Word count Analysis .....................................................................................44

5.7.1 Approach ...............................................................................................44

5.8 Transcript Thematic Analysis ........................................................................46

Theme 1: Brand Symbolism (Global Symbols) .......................................46

Theme 2: Socio-economic Status ...........................................................49

Theme 3: Identity ...................................................................................54

Theme 4: Global Connectedness ...........................................................57

6 CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS ................................................... 60

6.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................60

6.1 Brand Symbolism ..........................................................................................61

6.2 Socio-economic Status..................................................................................62

6.2.1 Education ...............................................................................................62

6.2.2 Entrepreneurship....................................................................................63

6.2.3 Role Models (Ubuntu) ................................................................................63

6.3 Identity ..........................................................................................................63

6.4 Global Connectedness ..................................................................................64

7 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION .................................................................. 65

7.1 Principal findings ...........................................................................................65

7.2 Implications for management ........................................................................66

7.3 Limitations of the research ............................................................................67

7.4 Suggestions for future research ....................................................................69


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LIST OF APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Ethical Clearance ....................................................................................76

Appendix 2: Permission Letters from the Shopping Centre Owner ..............................77

Appendix 3: Respondent Consent Form ......................................................................78

Appendix 4: Interview Guide ........................................................................................79

LIST OF FIGURES

With this in mind, the research study’s methodology is mapped in accordance with the

framework presented in Figure 1 below. ......................................................................22

Figure 2. Research Framework ...................................................................................22

Figure 3. Shopping Centre Space per Province 2012 (Prinsloo, 2014, extracted from

SACSC Shopping Centre Directory, 2012) ..................................................................25

Figure 4. Annual Average Household Income by Province, (Prinsloo, 2014) ...............26

Figure 5. Tier 1 and Tier 2 Sample. .............................................................................27

Figure 6. Number of Participant’s by Race. .................................................................39

Figure 7. Gender of Participants. .................................................................................39

Figure 8. Participants’ Age Profile. ..............................................................................40

Figure 9. Word count per Transcript. ...........................................................................41

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1. Population in Urban Areas per Province – 2011 Census ...............................25

Table 2. Interview schedule .........................................................................................29

Table 3. Details of Participants Interviewed .................................................................38

Table 4. Audio-recording length and Word count per Interview ...................................41

Table 5. Codes sorted into Categories, Sub-themes and Themes. ..............................45

Table 6. Sub-Themes and Themes. ............................................................................46


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1 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Definition of Problem and Purpose

The world’s largest coffee-shop chain, Starbucks, opened its first retail outlet in South

Africa on 21 April 2016, in the eclectic mixed use suburb of Rosebank, Johannesburg.

According to press reports, the Starbucks Corporation is expected to invest R130 million

in South Africa over the next two years as part of the company’s expansion strategy into

the continent’s most developed economy. Starbucks Chief Executive Officer, Howard

Schultz, stated that “this market is going to be larger than we thought initially…we will

take advantage of the growing middle class” (Nkwali, 2016, May 1). A crucial question is

that as global brands enter the South African market, are companies able to identify the

enablers and prohibitors to their brand’s success by understanding consumer

perceptions and preferences for domestic, foreign, and global products in increasingly

globalised markets (Bartsch, Riefler, & Diamantopoulos, 2016). An understanding of

consumers’ identity and their display of ‘self’ will lead toward how they are likely to

behave in these retail consumptionscapes.

This research study offers insights towards the nature of globalisation and consumer

cosmopolitanism in South Africa, in an era in which marketers are confronted with a

spate of differing opinions and conflicting information about the changing consumer.

Although there is consensus in the widespread discourse on the topic of industry

globalisation, there are disputes around the notion that consumer attitudes and

behaviours worldwide are likewise homogenising (Cleveland, Laroche, & Papadopoulos,

2009). What follows in the subsequent chapters, is an exploration of the influence of

identity display and resolution in a shared consumption landscape, that of retail theatre

(Varman & Belk, 2012). The objective is to gain insights into creolisation of consumer

culture against a backdrop of increasing globalisation, as consumers’ dispositions shift

toward acculturation and multiple identities as global citizens. Research into consumer

identity and acculturation contributes toward an understanding of the shrinking borders

of the global village in the South African landscape as an emerging and dynamic

economy, so as to inform enhanced branding strategies, especially within the context of

shopping centres as retail consumptionscapes (Appadurai, 1996) with brand resilience

and relevance.


http://www.fin24.com/Companies/Retail/starbucks-to-pump-r130m-in-south-africa-20160429

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1.2 Research Problem

Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s second post-apartheid President (June 1999 to September

2008) and father of the ‘African Renaissance’, worked to integrate Africa into the global

economy. He viewed globalisation as key to the continent’s economic development as

he “urged African governments to embrace the positive aspects of globalisation by

attracting capital and investment with which to develop their economies” (Adebajo, 2016,

April 25). “After centuries of slavery and colonialism which had systematically denigrated

(African) cultures and subjugated their (continent’s) institutions to alien rule”, Mbeki

further challenged Africans to “discover a sense of their own self-confidence” (Mbeki,

1998; Adebajo, 2016, April 25). He encouraged South Africans to embrace an African

identity and sought to promote the continent’s political, economic and social renewal

through the vision of the African Renaissance.

As Africa, and South Africa move toward improved access to foreign markets for African

goods, so too are global brands looking to the continent and especially to South Africa

as its gateway to capitalise on market potential. It is against this backdrop of increasing

globalisation, that this research topic will explore how local and global symbols in the

retail consumptionscape in South Africa address the needs of a creolised consumer

culture as consumers’ dispositions shift toward acculturation and multiple identities as

global citizens. Arnould and Thompson (2005) assert that consumer culture theorists

have recognised the importance of the relationship between consumers’ identity and the

structuring influence of the marketplace. The aforementioned authors argue “that the

market produces certain kinds of consumer positions that consumers can choose to

inhabit” (Arnould & Thompson, 2005). Through these consumer positions, individuals are

able to pursue their own enriching goals whilst aligning “their identities with the structural

imperatives of a consumer-driven global economy” (Arnould & Thompson, 2005;

Husemann & Luedicke, 2013). The authors further claim that localised cultural capital

are the particular forms of knowledge and skills valued in the group.

“In contrast to classic sociological accounts of subculture, in-group social status in these

settings is achieved not through adherence to monolithic consumption norms but through

displays of localised cultural capital (particular forms of knowledge and skills valued in

the group) and skill in combining, reworking, and innovating the pool of symbolic

resources that are shared by group members” (Arnould & Thompson, 2005). Penaloza

(1994) discusses acculturation and culture swapping in ethnic identities which is

described as “hypercultural in that the culture of origin is socially reconstructed as


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something consumable (costume, foods, crafts, music) as part of attempts to assert an

anchoring for identity in fluid social contexts”.

Recognising that there was a gap in the literature, Arnould and Thompson (2005)

reviewed over twenty years of research and theoretical contributions and formulated a

frame of reference that synthesised contributions in the field of consumer identity.

Research into the fields of consumer identity and acculturation will make contributions

toward understanding the influence and interplay between the global and South African

context. This research study will facilitate an understanding of the relationship between

ethnic identity and the juxtaposition of global brands. In other words, as the global village

gets smaller, are consumers moving away from their ethnic identities toward a

homogenous global identity, and what relationship does it bear toward the various

movements of embracing unique local cultural identities as called for by the African

Renaissance? What effect will this have on global brands looking to expand their

representation into South Africa, and how can they better understand consumer

behaviour in this complex market? The shopping centre, described by Ritzer (2010) as

a ‘cathedral of consumption’ is in the main home to these iconic global brands and will

benefit from an understanding of consumer identity as a precursor to customer

preferences.

There is substantial evidence indicating that global brands have strong symbolic value

to consumers from developing countries (Strizhakova, Coulter, & Price, 2008; Zhan &

He, 2012; Kipnis, Kubacki, Broderick, Siemieniako, & Pisarenko, 2012). There are

however, counter arguments presented in the literature that show contrary views that

presents a problem to understanding how to select markets and how to tailor products

and marketing campaigns (Carpenter, Moore, Alexander & Doherty, 2013; Sheth, 2011).

Bartsch et al (2016), also held that disentangling the role of multiple identities in

consumer behaviour remains a major research challenge. Therefore in response to a

call for further research in this area, the purpose of this exploratory study is to understand

how local and global brands are responding to the shift in consumer behaviour as South

Africans acculturate to the global consumer culture. The findings will bear relevance to

the field of international marketing, as brand custodians work toward a psychographic

profile of this culturally diverse and complex market.


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1.3 Research Scope

This study is informed by constructs grounded in theories of social psychology and

sociology in order to understand their conceptual nature. Although thought leaders in the

discipline of consumer behaviour are concerned over the seeming lack of a common

theoretical vernacular, Arnould and Thompson (2005) view this disciplinary diversity as

contributing to the conversational interaction thus forging greater linkages to other

branches of social science and the world of management. The aforementioned authors

view consumer research as a vital and maturing field of inquiry because of its ability to

generate and sustain multiple theoretical conversations, each speaking to distinctive

theoretical questions.

The constructs that follow in the discussion under the literature review include global and

local identity, consumer cosmopolitanism and creolisation, as they are deemed

conceptually relevant for the research purpose (Bartsch et al., 2016; Penaloza, 1994).

Contributions from the study in consumer identity will provide insights to the field of

international marketing, with specific relevance to the South African context as it is

accepted that demographic attributes alone are not sufficiently insightful (HBR, 11 Mar

2016), making a strong case for an increased responsiveness toward psychographic

segmentation. An understanding of consumer identity and segmentation is of crucial

importance to the tenant mix of shopping centres as retail hubs. In South Africa there

are almost 2,000 shopping centres that occupy over 23 million square meters of retail

space. The Gauteng Province contributes 33.9% to South Africa’s GDP and 10% of the

total GDP of the entire African continent (Prinsloo, 2014) and as in the rest of Africa,

South Africa is also experiencing an unprecedented growth in urbanisation with levels

as high as 97% in Gauteng.

Whilst this study does not aim to generalise its findings, the frameworks and constructs

may be deemed useful for operating in the consumption landscape of the retail

environment. Custodians of the shopping centre consumptionscape that make decisions

for optimal tenant mix between product categories and brands will benefit from a deeper

exploration into the consumers’ identity and their display of the self in these competitive

retail environments, with the objective of enhanced retail experiences. Global brands

entering similar emerging markets could thus influence decisions for strategy formulation

of retailers, marketers, advertisers and companies venturing into new markets outside of

their national borders.


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1.4 Document Scope

The research was conducted using a cross sectional study of participants selected using

the researcher’s judgement for diversity and is presented as a research project

comprising seven chapters, outlined as follows:

1.4.1 Chapter one: Introduction

This chapter provides the context and introduces the research problem, giving the

business and theoretical need for the study. Key concepts relating to creolisation of

consumer culture and acculturation of consumer identity in South Africa are highlighted.

1.4.2 Chapter two: Literature Review

Chapter two presents insights into the pertinent literature by leading authors in the field,

to formulate the core argument for the research topic, and illustrates the need for the

study.

1.4.3 Chapter three: Research Question

In chapter three, the purpose of the research is stated and the research question

provided.

1.4.4 Chapter four: Methodology

This chapter discusses and motivates the research methodology and research design

that was adopted to operationalise the central research question. It stipulates the

population, sample size and method, unit of analysis, research instrument, data

collection and process of data analysis. Validity, reliability and triangulation are

discussed in this chapter, together with limitations of the study.

1.4.5 Chapter five: Results

Chapter five presents the results of the study in accordance with the research question

and emergent themes.

1.4.6 Chapter six: Discussion of results

Chapter six presents a discussion of the results that emerged from the empirical study

in chapter five in light of the research question identified in chapter three, as it relates to

the literature reviewed in chapter two.


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1.4.7 Chapter seven: Conclusion

The final chapter highlights the principal findings of the research and managerial

implications. The study ends with limitations of the research undertaken and suggestions

for future research.


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2 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter presents previous research that was reviewed in order to understand the

various academic contributions made in the field of international marketing viewed

through the theoretical lens of social psychology. The concepts of creolisation,

globalisation, ethnocentrism, cosmopolitanism and its relationship to acculturation to the

global consumer culture was explored and the findings in the extant literature presented.

In keeping with the nature of exploratory studies (Creswell, 2014), the literature review

was conducted as preliminary, and was amended and refined on an iterative basis as

the research progressed.

The objective of this study is to explore the phenomenon of creolisation as a

consequence of globalisation. Thus, an examination into how South African consumers

display their identity (the self) through the role of local and global symbols in retail

consumptionscapes was undertaken. The shopping mall is identified as the nexus of

place, brands and identity and thus forms the ideal setting for this inquiry.

2.1 Retail Consumptionscapes

Consumption is a communicative act crucial to the constitution of self (Ger & Belk, 1996).

The authors argue that selfhood, is constructed locally and consumption is used in that

construction. Rather than mere emulation when looking from the outside, it is seen as

sense-making synthesis, and meaningful and coherent symbiosis when looking from the

inside. Hence to understand global consumption patterns, we must understand the local

experience and meaning of consumption.

The postmodern individual has evolved into Homo consumericus, a creature described

by Firat and Shultz (1997) as defined by consumption and the experiences derived

therefrom. In their article on luxury marketing, Atwal and Williams (2009) state the

difference between traditional marketing frameworks and experiential marketing, as that

the former view consumers as rational decision-makers focused on the functional

features and benefits of products, whereas the latter views consumers as emotional

beings, focussed on achieving pleasurable experiences. Atwal and Williams (2009)

highlight the difference between traditional and experiential marketing as follows: The

first difference, they maintain is that “the focus is on customer experiences and lifestyles,

which provide sensory, emotional, cognitive and relational values to the consumer”.

Secondly, “there is a focus on creating synergies among meaning, perception,


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consumption and brand loyalty”. Thirdly, they argue that “customers are not rational

decision-makers, but are rather driven by rationality and emotion”. Finally, they argue

that experiential marketing requires a more diverse range of research methods in order

to understand consumers (Atwal & Williams, 2009, p. 345).

Aligned with the quest to understand consumers, in Ger and Belk’s (1996) study, the

main question posed was: what is the nature of consumption as experienced in the Less

Affluent World (LAW)? What Ger and Belk (1996) sought to explore was if consumption

in the context of the LAW implied a unidirectional adoption of new Western values and

whether the local ‘consumptionscape’ was merely a replica of a globally spreading

Western consumer culture. Appadurai (1996) identifies five global cultural flows labelled

as ethnoscapes (global movements of people as immigrants, tourists, or guestworkers),

finanscapes (global movements of money in all its forms), technoscapes (global

movements of technologies and information), mediascapes (global movements of media

images), and ideoscapes (global movements of ideologies). These flows are described

as increasing the availability of symbols and meanings in consumers' everyday lives in

such a way that much of what is available in one place is also available in any other

place. To these worlds, Ger and Belk (1996) added the ‘consumptionscape’ which is the

focus of this study.

Toward an understanding of consumer behaviour, this field of study will commence with

defining global consumer culture as well as a consideration of the factors that lead toward

global consumption homogenisation. Global consumer culture, according to Ger and

Belk (1996), has been identified as involving one or more of four trends: proliferation of

transnational firms, globalised capitalism, globalised consumerism, and global

consumption homogenisation. As in the aforementioned authors’ study, the focus of this

research study is on the latter two phenomena.

2.2 Shopping Centres: Cathedrals of consumption

Ritzer (2010) coined the term ‘cathedrals of consumption’ referring to commercial

displays that are meant to inspire awe, wonder, and enchantment in the consumer, of

which shopping centres, casinos and sports stadiums are examples. Izak (2014)

supports Ritzer’s (2010) concept, where he maintains that when social actors (shoppers)

become orchestrated towards the achievement of a specified goal, they divert attention

away from the ‘product’ of consumption and focus on its immaterial, enchanted qualities.


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Extending this analogy, Ger and Belk (1996), posit that the prospect of global

consumerism in the late twentieth century might be seen as similar to the prospect of a

global religion in earlier centuries. The authors maintain that consumerism is itself a

belief system akin to religion. If consumption is the religion of the present day,

consumption rituals may be best understood as religious rituals (Ger & Belk, 1996).

Creolised consumption is a way to reconcile the contradictions, and involves symbiosis,

syncretism, as well as struggle. The degree of symbiosis and struggle depends upon the

multiplicity of the forces and contradictions within the local and global. These forces

include the strength of existing ideologies and the degree of integration that has already

taken place. They conclude that LAW (Less Affluent World) and MAW (More Affluent

World) consumptionscapes are both increasingly becoming the mixing grounds of

dynamic local and global consumption icons, spiritual experiences and emotions.

Fuentes and Hagberg (2013) offer a critique of retail marketing, maintaining that in the

past it was too narrowly focused on quantitative methods, treating retail spaces mainly

as technical and psychological spaces. The aforementioned authors offer a

multidisciplinary approach to retail marketing, highlighting the socio-cultural dimension

of retailing, shopping and consumption in retail spaces which are performative spaces

where identities, experiences, ideologies and multiple meanings are produced and

reproduced. The debate is whether these retail environments, in particular the shopping

malls, referred to as cathedrals of consumption (Fuentes & Hagberg, 2013; Sam, 2012;

Steinfield & Hamilton, 2013), bully and manipulate consumers into consumption, or

whether consumers are indeed “rational, autonomous, self-interested, calculative

agents" (Fuentes & Hagberg, 2013, p. 291).

Adding to this approach, Arnould and Thompson (2005), provide a synthesising overview

of consumer research that takes into account the sociocultural, experiential, symbolic

and ideological aspects of consumption, and accordingly coined the term ‘consumer

culture theory’ (CCT). Thus CCT is not a unified, grand theory, rather it refers to a family

of theoretical perspectives addressing the dynamic relationships between consumer

actions, the marketplace, and cultural meanings.

Arnould & Thompson (2005) point out that consumer culture theory is fulfilling the

recurrent calls by thought leaders of consumer research for a distinctive body of

theoretical knowledge about consumption and market-place behaviours. Certain


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shopping centres, shops, and forms of shopping become associated with certain social

groups, and shoppers, in turn, seek out these shopping spaces and practices in order to

express and renegotiate either their ethnic, gender or class identities. Shopping and

shopping centres are clearly associated with the making and remaking of identities.

Shopping, place and identity shows that these commercial spaces are not only arenas

were these identities are played out, but can also be spaces in which these identities are

actively made and remade (Fuentes & Hagberg, 2013). A study by Cachinho (2014) on

the socio-spatial contexts of retail environments through the lens of Consumer Culture

Theory explicates this concept.

According to Fuentes and Hagberg (2013), socio-cultural retail studies teach us that

retailing and society are not separate entities; that retail practices and spaces help shape

society. Retail practices and spaces are actively involved in the construction of identities,

meanings and worldviews. Authors on the subject of consumer identity (Cleveland &

Laroche, 2007b; Arnould & Thompson, 2005; Ger & Belk, 1996) contribute to the body

of knowledge in consumer behaviour, which raises its applicability to the evidence and

prevalence in the South African context? How is the identity of self influenced in the retail

context, especially in light of globalisation. Do young South African’s embrace their ethnic

identity through the display of local symbols, or are they influenced by the global symbols

prevalent in the retail consumptionscape?

2.3 Postcolonial Identity and Conspicuous Consumption

Arnould and Thompson (2005) state that one area conspicuously absent from the

subject’s discourse is the broader analyses of the historical and institutional forces that

have shaped the marketplace and the consumer as a social category. Their CCT

systematically links individual level meanings to different levels of cultural processes and

structure and then situates these relationships within historical and marketplace

contexts. Through their review on the extant works on consumer culture, Arnould and

Thompson (2005, p.875) maintain that “consumption is a historically shaped mode of

sociocultural practice that emerges within the structures and ideological imperatives of

dynamic marketplaces”. They state that many “consumers’ lives are constructed around

multiple realities and that consumption practices are used to experience these realities,

such as fantasies, invocative desires, aesthetics and identity play” (Arnould & Thompson,

2005, p. 875).


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Extending this argument, and understanding it with specific contextual relevance to

South Africa, Brace-Govan and De Burgh-Woodman (2008), argue that socially and

historically marginalised groups could be understood from the theoretical underpinning

of postcolonialism as a relatively unexplored theoretical perspective to marketing and

consumer research. To contribute to this debate, CCT provide understandings of the

nexus of place (retail consumptionscapes) where these understandings might contribute

to generating insights to the urban phenomenon of inequality, such as urban segregation

and exclusion (Castilhos, 2015). The South African retail landscape is thus particularly

well suited for this analysis on the basis of its postcolonial and post-apartheid history.

With colonialism, which began in South Africa in 1652, came the Slavery and Forced

Labour Model which lasted 182 years until 1834. Noteworthy is that the abolition of

slavery did not change the colonial–feudal ‘slave–master’ relations between black and

white people, but instead, these ‘slave–master’ relations imprinted themselves on South

Africa’s political, social and economic structures for years into the future. Black people

were ‘enslaved’ by the oppressive laws of industrialisation, pass regulations, and labour

ordinances such as the Masters and Servants Act of 1841. It was only after 1994, after

the country’s first democratic elections, that all South Africans were emancipated from

slavery (SAHO, 2011).

According to (Rukundwa & Van Aarde, 2009, p. 1187), postcolonial theory produces a

“dislocated culture, a hybrid mixture of worlds” within a conflictual cultural interaction.

Postcolonial culture is a hybridised phenomenon that involves a dialectal relationship of

the grafted Western cultural systems and a native ontology, which (re)creates a new

local identity.

Continuing in this vein, (Lunga, 2008) argues around the (complicated) relationship

between postcolonialism and globalisation, positing that globalisation requires

contestation and contemplation. Lunga (2008) further makes a case that the two

concepts can occupy the same discursive space and highlights points of convergence.

Rukundwa et al (2009) maintain that imperialism as a concept and colonialism as a

practice are still active in a new form of neo-colonialism. Lunga (2008) supports this

position that colonialism is still at work in other various forms, such as neocolonialism

and globalisation and maintains that postcolonial theory remains particularly useful to

critique the West, especially as there are concerns that globalisation is viewed in terms

of unequal power and economic relations.


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This view around power and economic relations is supported in the work of Varman and

Belk (2012), in their study of consumption patterns in postcolonial shopping malls.

According to Varman and Belk (2012), enslaved or colonised people suffer from a deep

crisis of identity and inferiority that often forces them to copy their former masters. They

maintain that the process of globalisation and exposure to the West exacerbates this

neurotic condition of postcolonial identity. Consumption patterns of the emerging black

middle class describes economic vulnerability as a driver of consumption patterns

(Burger, Louw, De Oliveira Pegado, & Van der Berg, 2015).

Ger and Belk (1996) in their earlier study highlighted that the macro effect of following

global consumption patterns is fostering local social inequality, and threatening the

integrated social fabric in the LAW, where they held that the marketisation and the

newfound consumption served the elite but not the majority. Non-consumption, as is

stated by Ger and Belk (1996) is experienced as a lack of control and an exclusion that

perpetuates poverty and creates withdrawal. In addition, Chipp, Kleyn and Manzi (2011)

supports that these growing polarisations fuel alienation, frustration and relative

deprivation which may nurture social strife and crime.

In a similar vein, Chipp, Kleyn and Manzi (2011), in their study on whether the

conspicuous consumption of affluent black South Africans is associated with prior

experiences of relative deprivation, found that egoistic relative deprivation played a role

initially in “catch up” consumption to the more privileged (white) consumers to whom

black South Africans had been exposed during childhood to early adulthood. They

reported that the spike of conspicuous consumption normalised somewhat as they

continued to “keep up” with their (black) peers. The aforementioned authors found that

the respondents were driven by a fear of failure and loss of self-respect to gain further

affluence to afford lifestyle items that gained the admiration of their social networks. It

was this fear that at times forced both affluent and non-affluent black people to live

beyond their means by extending themselves financially into unsustainable credit

schemes. Their study reported that as the first generation of affluent black people in a

post-apartheid South Africa, the lack of financial education and familiarity with wealth

leads to abuse of credit facilities which result in over-indebtedness (Chipp et al., 2011).

Varman and Belk’s (2012) study interpreted shopping malls in India as representative of

postcolonial sites where young consumers emulated the West in an attempt to transform

their Third World identities. They argue that shopping malls in former colonies “offers

consumers the illusion of being Western, modern, and developed” (2012, p. 62). Thus,


13

consumption of postcolonial retail arenas is characterised as a masquerade through

which young consumers attempt to disguise or temporarily transcend their Third World

realities.

Varman and Belk’s (2012) interpretation offers insights into transitioning retail

servicescapes of the Third World, which in turn helps to improve extant understanding

of consumer identity and global consumer culture and is pertinent to this study because

of its relation to these servicescapes afford consumers different kinds of temporal

experiences.

Ger and Belk (1996) argue that buying into consumer culture involves seeking to improve

perceived social status and thus increases stress by keeping up with the Joneses. In

chasing after consumer goods and the money to acquire them, there is an escalation in

the pace of life, a reduction of leisure time, and an emphasis on a work-and-spend ethic

precluding the luxury of free time. The other major psychological effect of a shift to global

consumer culture is the adoption of greater materialism, as seen in recently marketised

economies. Materialism is a belief that happiness lies in things rather than people or

experiences, but has paradoxically been found to be associated with unhappiness.

Ger and Belk (1996) critique on global consumer culture is that Marketisation has helped

fuel a revolution of rising consumer expectations that is further excited by global mass

media, popular culture, advertising, distribution, migration, transnational

cosmopolitanism, and international tourism. Whilst they argue that these consumer

goods might be the stimuli that motivate workers and improve national economies for

nations emerging from poverty, Ger and Belk (1996) claim that there is also a potentially

darker side to the globalisation of consumer culture and critiques the physical effect of

consumer culture on health and diet, endangered by cutting on food to afford foreign

items of symbolism such as a pair of much desired jeans, or by replacing local foods with

tempting attractively packaged and well-advertised candy, and other less nutritious or

carcinogenic new and modern world foods.

The aforementioned authors argue the merits of global consumer culture on the

(observable) environment, diet and physical health against the less tangible but some of

the most profound potential detrimental effects being cultural, social and psychological.

At threat, is the loss of confidence and pride in local goods and material culture,

accompanied by a disregard for local products and consumption which is damaging for


14

local identity as well as local production. This is considered as a cultural threat which is

problematic for local empowerment, identity, and esteem and for global diversity.

Ger and Belk’s (1996) study also suggest that a political economy framework is an

incomplete approach to understanding consumer cultures in the LAW. Local

consumption patterns do not rest solely on dependency relations with global influences.

These patterns also depend upon how locals make sense of their daily experiences when

faced with the new complex world. Thus they suggested that consumer cultures can

better be understood by combining the political economy perspective with the view that

consumption is about meaning, about sense-making. The dialectic of globalisation-

localisation cannot be understood unless we begin with how the local experiences that

dialectic. The luxury market is no longer the exclusive domain of the elite which is

described as the democratisation of the luxury market. This democratisation is changing

the nature of luxury because of the exclusive which has become commonplace. The

traditional definition of luxury as something that is out of the ordinary in terms of daily

living needs is therefore no longer tenable (Hudders, Pandelaere, & Vyncke, 2013).

2.4 The Global Village

Cherrier and Belk (2014), describe globalisation as the flux, flows, mobility and

movements of people, ideas and commodities across the globe. Kjeldgaard and

Askegaard (2006) maintain that is important to the globalisation process that identity is

neither fixed nor a given but is now understood to be constructed through the interplay

between institutionalised models of identity and localised articulations. Globally, two

opposing, yet simultaneously occurring and reinforcing movements are being observed

as the homogenisation and heterogenisation of cultures (Cleveland & Laroche, 2007a).

Cleveland et al (2014, p. 269) discuss the concept of cosmopolitanism using McLuhan’s

theory of the global village, where McLuhan theorised in the 1960’s the “advent of an

electronic communications network that would figuratively shrink the globe, creating a

global village whose members would have an acute sense of their collective

cosmopolitan identity”. The advent of the internet, described long before its arrival by

McLuhan as “a computer, an electronic brain”, as well as satellite television, has greatly

facilitated the virtual interactions of people around the globe (Cleveland, Laroche,

Takahashi & Erdo, 2014, p. 269). The implications for international new product

introduction is that companies that currently use a sequential rollout and typically begin


15

from the West and proceed to the rest of the world would have to rethink their marketing

strategy. The repercussions of the global village is that consumers have greater access

to global and social media and are now exposed to information about new products

instantly, regardless of the launch location (Kravets & Sandikci, 2014).

A subject for further inquiry is the globalisation of consumer culture and its manifestations

in less developed countries and those characterised by transitional economies, such as

South Africa. Consumer Culture Theory, through re-textualisation, has reframed and

revitalised core analytic constructs, such as brand loyalty, consumer lifestyles, retail

experiences, advertising information processing, customer satisfaction, and consumer

involvement (Arnould & Thompson, 2005). As globalisation intensifies awareness of

different cultures around the world and the interdependence among them, Westjohn,

Singh and Magnusson (2012) assert that people necessarily develop views of the “self”

in relation to the rest of the world. Global and national identification are among these

potential self-views and can serve as a basis for segmentation. Although, Ger and Belk

(1996) argue that some form of (consumer) resistance is likely only if there is a strong

awareness, confidence and ideology, either due to prior experience with Western

consumption and exposure to global trends of resistance which include voluntary

simplicity and environmentalism, or an intense ethnic pride due to a local

accomplishment.

2.5 The Cosmopolitan Paradox: The Global/Local Continuum

A further consideration regarding acculturating to the global consumer culture is Cannon

and Yaprak’s (2002) study, which focused on the nature of cosmopolitanism as a

construct to understand consumer’s orientation. The authors revisit the original meaning

of cosmopolitanism as presented in the 1950’s as seminal work by Merton who used the

term to represent “the tendency of people to orient themselves beyond their local

community” (Cannon & Yaprak, 2002, p. 33). The authors found that the concept of

cosmopolitanism held true to the Mertonian notions of cultural transcendence, but that it

went beyond the original conception of world citizenship. They proceed to argue that

cultural diversity should not be the sole index of cosmopolitan orientation and found

conflicting viewpoints held toward the “global village” and Levitt’s notion of globalisation

in marketing. Cannon and Yaprak (2002) critique the extant literature for not being able

to provide a complete perspective on the cosmopolitan construct, and proceeded to

develop an alternative perspective.


16

The aforementioned authors also found that cosmopolitanism is not the opposite of

localism, contrary to what most academic engagements around the topic seemed to

suggest. Therefore, in their study, Cannon and Yaprak (2002) considered the “potential

existence of local versus global cosmopolitans” and found that previous conceptions

appear to have been oversimplified, and in the process, perhaps misled marketers. What

they found was that there was no single cosmopolitan culture and offer insights via their

framework of how markets are likely to develop, through what patterns and in what

proportions (Cannon & Yaprak, 2002). This framework helps explain the paradox of the

world moving inexorably toward a more cosmopolitan orientation while simultaneously,

local cultures appear to be flourishing. Cannon and Yaprak (2002) maintain that by

viewing cosmopolitanism as a more complex construct and by recognising that most

people are in transition, will assist to anticipate patterns of consumer behaviour, which

is also supported by Cleveland, Papadopolous and Laroche (2011), to guide research

and resulting marketing programmes.

Cleveland, Papadopolous and Laroche’s (2011) study of identity, demographics and

consumer behaviour focused on the relationship between strong ethnic identity (EID)

and a globally-oriented disposition (cosmopolitanism: COS) (Cleveland et al., 2011),

where they found that consumers are complementing an identity rooted in their traditional

culture with one that is globally-oriented. These findings were of particular significance,

as it signals to marketers, when they should standardise their strategies across national

frontiers and when to customise or ‘glocalise’ which aligns with Ger and Belk’s (1996)

findings on creolisation. Cleveland et al (2011) identify two psychographic factors as

mainly appropriate for market segmentation in the era of globalisation, namely,

consumer’s affiliation to national/ethnic culture and their globally-oriented dispositions.

Their study showed that contrary to Levitt’s famous argument from over 30 years ago,

globalisation does not inevitably lead to cultural homogenisation. The authors advocate

a glocalised segmentation approach which delineates groups of consumers through the

combination of inter- and intramarket indicators. This glocalised segmentation approach

calls for a closer understanding of where consumers’ identity is positioned on the

global/local continuum.

Thompson and Arsel (2004) developed the construct of the hegemonic brandscape in

their study to cast theoretical light upon relationships between the cultural influences

exerted by culturally iconic experiential brands (such as Starbucks) and consumers'

experiences of glocalisation. Their cultural analysis of the Starbucks brandscape


17

contributed to an emerging disciplinary project that explores how brand meanings

generate consumer identities, social networks, and marketplace cultures; and,

reciprocally, how brand meanings are individually and collectively appropriated, re-

constructed, and, in some cases, contested by consumers, such as in the anti-corporate

discourse toward brands.

2.6 Creolisation

Studies by Ger and Belk (1996) proposed the notion of creolisation and argued that

consumptionscapes involve neither simple emulation of Western culture nor simple

resistance to it. There is a call for cross cultural researchers to examine the “…complex

interplay between the local context and global content, rather than arguing for the

primacy of one over the other (Cleveland & Laroche, 2007b, p. 250). Whilst there is

general consensus amongst academics, researchers and theorists in the field pertaining

to the meaning of cosmopolitan (Cannon & Yaprak, 2002; Cleveland & Laroche, 2007;

Cleveland et al., 2014; Bartsch et al., 2016), there is still contention whether an outward

orientation supplants a local orientation (Cleveland et al., 2014; Ger, 1999; Steenkamp,

Batra and Alden, 2003, & Swoboda, Pennemann & Taube, 2012), discuss perceived

brand globalness (PBG) (being recognised as a global player with a global reach) and

perceived brand localness (being recognised as a local player and a symbol or icon of

local culture). Some researchers believe that cosmopolitan consumers are attracted to

brands perceived as, however, Cleveland et al (2014) argue that cosmopolitanism does

not require forsaking the local in favour of the global. The authors’ claim that instead of

shunning brands associated “with parochial cultural significance, the cosmopolitan

craves consumption authenticity” (p. 275). Strizhakova, Coulter, and Price (2008), found

that (recent) empirical research has shown that ‘glocal’ identities exist among young

consumers in emerging countries, who respond positively to both global and local

brands.

Various terminology has been used by different researchers to describe this

phenomenon; hybridisation, creolisation, and transculturation (Cleveland & Laroche,

2009). Cultural processes, when viewed through the lens of sociology, presents less as

fixed responses and more as emergent and adaptive due to the context of specific

conditions, exemplified when a person displays attributes of cosmopolitanism in one

domain but localness in another (Cleveland & Laroche, 2009; Özsomer, 2012).


18

Sandikci and Ekici (2009) found that consumers in the non-western world do not

purchase western goods to simply emulate foreign goods but rather, they adopt such

goods into the local practice and utilize them in novel and hybrid ways. This finding

resonates with the earlier observations of Ger and Belk (1996) who identified the strategy

of ‘creolisation’ whereby consumers synthesised meanings from disparate sources (local

and global) in combined patterns of consumption. This allows consumers to express their

identity through consumer behaviour in what may be described as a blending of both

global and local culture in order to create a new hybrid (creolised) culture (Ger & Belk,

1996).

From the literature, it is apparent that even though over the years several authors have

made substantial contributions to the body of knowledge, there was no single point of

reference or framework to assist strategists, decision-makers and practitioners in the

related disciplines (Bartsch et al., 2016). Riefler and Diamantopolous (2009) identified

that whilst consumer’s positive dispositions relating to foreign countries, cultures and

products are an important topic, it remained under-researched when compared to

attitudes that were reactive or negative toward globalisation. It was found that in a global

environment, consumers adopt behaviour that are part of global culture whilst

simultaneously keeping their own cultural values and customs (Xie, Batra, & Peng,

2015). This is of significance to local marketers as Eckhardt (2005) maintains that as

marketing activities globalise, most of the focus of the international marketing and

branding literature tends to be on strategies for global companies and brands at the

expense of local companies and brands.

There are examples from all over the world that involve both the use of Western goods

as symbols of modernity and status as well as symbols of preserving or reviving

traditional roots (Ger & Belk, 1996). There is thus a transformation of meaning and local

sense-making that make the experience coherent in the local experience. Ger and Belk

(1996) maintain that creolisation is not just a one-way hybridisation on the part of the

Less Affluent World (LAW), but is rather a two directional give and take with the result

being a new synthesis of consumption patterns combining the once local and the once

global. “Such exchanges may not be perfectly symmetrical, but they are reciprocal” (Ger

& Belk, 1996, p. 292).


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2.7 Ethnocentrism

Guo (2013) offers several important managerial implications that emerged from their

study which investigated the influence of consumer global orientation on attitudes toward

global brands from developed compared to emerging countries. Guo (2013) states that

in their segmentation and positioning strategies, global marketers should carefully

examine Global consumer orientation (GCO), global identity, and ethnocentrism, as

consumers’ globalisation-related psychological characteristics.

The aforementioned constructs, though related, exert independent influences and to

identify appropriate segments in global markets, thus each construct should be

measured and assessed. Consequently, Guo (2013) asserts that ethnocentrism as a

contributing construct bears relevance especially as it pertains to social identity. The

research also revealed that marketers should be prudent in implementing a

“glocalisation” strategy in which it was found that companies in emerging countries now

widely embrace the idea of glocalisation as “the interpenetration of the global and the

local resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas”. For example, in China,

Starbucks have deliberately incorporated more Chinese cultural elements (local

artefacts, designs, and styles) into its American lifestyle selling and suggests that young

urban Chinese with global identities likely use the brand as a means of self-definition

because Starbucks has “a distinct identity” associated with the United States (Guo,

2013). The concept of creolisation may thus be a more apt consideration as a construct

to describe and understand this complexity.

2.8 Conclusion

The literature review in this chapter presents the main themes and key concepts

pertinent to consumer behaviour in the context of globalisation. The influence of

globalisation on consumer identity and the consumption of market spaces through the

retail theatre of the shopping centre is given through the academic voices of the experts

in the field.

In summary, this chapter addressed the forces of globalisation that pervade everyday

life, from multi-national corporations as they seek to conquer markets, to consumers as

its prime target who experience the effects at the most granular level, that of self.


20

The inter-relationship of the factors discussed in this literature review, leads to the

research question presented in the next chapter which explores the role of local and

global symbols in the display of consumer identity in this postcolonial consumptionscape.


21

3 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH QUESTION

This study uses a central broad question in its exploratory approach that is consistent

with the emerging methodology of qualitative research. It thus begins by exploring the

general, complex set of factors that surround the central phenomenon in order to present

the broad and varied perspectives that participants hold (Creswell, 2014).

The purpose of this research is to explore the phenomenon of creolisation as a

consequence of globalisation. This can be achieved through an understanding of the self

and its display through the role of local and global symbols in retail consumptionscapes.

The theory presented in chapter two as part of the literature review guided the

formulation of the central research question as follows:

3.1 Central Research Question

How is creolisation prevalent in the display of consumer identity in the South African

retail consumptionscapes?

In answering the above question, the study will explore the role of local and global

symbols in the display of the self in retail consumptionscapes?

The following chapter describes in detail the research methodology used to explore

answers to the central research question listed above.


22

4 CHAPTER FOUR: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

4.1 Research Philosophy, Design and Method

According to Fuentes and Hagberg (2013) the socio-cultural dimension of retailing,

shopping and consumption is absent from most mainstream retail marketing accounts,

in spite of Arnould and Thompson’s (2005) earlier study which showed consumption

practices as inherently social and cultural. It is accepted that this study of ‘the self and

its display’ coincides with Fuentes and Hagberg’s description of retail spaces as

performative spaces where identities, ethnicity, experiences, ideologies and multiple

meanings are produced and reproduced, and would therefore benefit from a qualitative

research approach instead of quantitative, which is already prevalent in this field.

With this in mind, the research study’s methodology is mapped in accordance with the

framework presented in Figure 2 below.

Figure 1. Research Framework

Philosophy

Design

Approach/ Method

•Social Constructivist (Intepretavist)

•Qualitative•Exploratory

• Inductive•Grand-tour Questions (Semi-structured Interview)


23

Research Philosophy: Social Constructivist (Interpretivist)

The research study embraced a social constructivist philosophy which according to

Saunders and Lewis’s (2012) definition is interpretivist in nature. It takes into account

the social world of the research subjects from their point of view in complex and unique

situations which enables researchers to achieve a great level of depth of the participants’

insights.

In the constructivist paradigm, events are understood through the interpretation of the

social context where multiple subjective realities are constructed and interpreted

(Creswell, 2014). The goal of this study was to rely as much as possible on the

participants’ own experiences and meanings that they assign to their consumption

choices. Creswell (2014) states that these meanings are not simply imprinted on

individuals, but are formed through interaction with others (hence social constructivism)

and through historical and cultural norms that operate in individuals’ lives.

4.1.2 Research Design: Qualitative, Exploratory

Aligned to the research philosophy of social constructivism, the study uses a qualitative

exploratory design, chosen for its suitability to obtain rich data and to yield new insights,

assessing topics from a new perspective (Saunders & Lewis, 2012). Although any

preconceived notions of what was expected to be found was set aside in order to

understand the data collected more fully, the researcher’s personal interpretation of the

situation under study is inevitable and will form part of the insights generated.

4.1.3 Research Approach: Inductive, Semi-structured interview

The literature was reviewed in order to assist in the construction of the interview guide

and to establish the domain that the interview will explore (that of creolisation as an

influence of globalisation), highlighting the categories and relationships (such as

consumer identity, post-colonial consumption patterns, brands as status signals amongst

others) that may organize the data.

This resulted in the construction of open-ended grand tour questions (Mccracken, 2011)

that were intentionally broad and general, giving the participants the opportunity to

convey the meaning of their encounters in the shopping centres as retail


24

consumptionscapes. The researcher then interweaved discussions about their families

and cultural orientations which the flexibility of the semi-structured interview process

allowed. The researcher had to listen carefully to the responses to understand these

subjective meanings in their social and historical context.

Rather than starting with a theory, when interpreting the data, the researcher generated

themes that was inductively developed from patterns that emerged from the

observations. In keeping with the inductive approach, the data collected from the semi-

structured interviews was analysed, together with the researcher’s personal

observations, thus presenting insights that emerged from the findings in a bottom up

approach.

4.2 Population

A population is defined as the complete set of group members (Saunders & Lewis, 2012),

a large collection of individuals or objects that is the main focus of a scientific query. A

research population is thus a well-defined collection of individuals or objects that have

similar characteristics. The population for this study are the shoppers in the

Johannesburg Metropole who shop at the four selected regional shopping centres.

The Johannesburg Metropole was chosen as it is located in the largest city in South

Africa, and is located in the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in the

country with a large ethnic diversity (Prinsloo, 2014). The city profile of Johannesburg as

the business hub of the province and the country, was aligned to the nature of the study

in terms of the population’s comparatively elevated income levels (see Figure 4) and

inferred exposure to globalisation and access to the retail consumptionscapes under

study (see Figure 3).


25

Table 1. Population in Urban Areas per Province – 2011 Census

Note: (Prinsloo, 2014, extracted from StatsSA, Population Census 2011)

Figure 2. Shopping Centre Space per Province 2012 (Prinsloo, 2014, extracted from SACSC

Shopping Centre Directory, 2012)

Shopping Centre Space per Province 2012


26

Figure 3. Annual Average Household Income by Province, (Prinsloo, 2014)

Due to the practical considerations for cost and large population sizes, researchers often

cannot test every individual in the population because of cost and time constraints. This

is why researchers rely on sampling techniques (Saunders & Lewis, 2012). In this study,

purposive sampling was used as a means to extract meaningful data from participants,

thereby circumventing the challenge of cost and time.

4.3 Unit of Analysis

The unit of analysis in this research study is the shopper.

The nature of the data collected is the shopper’s experience, perceptions, memories and

meaning that they assign to their experiences in the retail consumptionscape of the

shopping centre.

Annual Average Household Income by Province


27

4.4 Sampling Method and Size

A non-probability, purposive sampling method was used for the study, as it was the

researcher’s judgement that informed the selection, based on a range of predetermined

criteria (Saunders & Lewis, 2012), that offered the best insights. These criteria include

the locale of the shopping centre based in the province’s business hub, and diversity in

terms of age, gender, race and ethnicity. It was a fortuitous in as much as it was

expected by the researcher, that the sample was diverse in terms of occupations held.

The study employed two stage sampling, first a sample of regional shopping centres;

then a sample of shoppers at the mall.

According to the Classification and Hierarchy of Retail Facilities in South Africa (Prinsloo,

2010), a regional shopping centre measures between 50,000m² to 100,000m² of gross

lettable area (GLA) with 150-200 shops linked via a major arterial road usually a

provincial road linking to a national road offering very high accessibility and visibility. The

role and function of these centres are to satisfy the needs of a large primary and

secondary catchment area often supported by a strong workforce in the immediate

vicinity. They offer a wider entertainment component to attract people especially during

the evenings and children during holiday periods. These centres also act as a catalyst

for the establishment of a mixed use node with retail facilities, office firms, hotels,

residential development and entertainment. The four regional shopping centres selected

in Tier 1 of the sample fulfil this criteria.

Figure 4. Tier 1 and Tier 2 Sample.

Johannesburg Metropole

12 shoppers

Shopping Centre 1 (South)

3 shoppers

Shopping Centre 2 (North-west)

3 shoppers

Shopping Centre 3 (North)

3 shoppers

Shopping Centre 4 (West)

3 shoppers


28

4.4.1 Tier 1 Sample: Regional Shopping Centres

When owners of shopping centres initially identified for the study were approached by

the researcher for access to the various sites, it was established that permission to

conduct the study would not be granted in terms of the respective companies’ policy.

This prohibition prevented independent research at the shopping centres except where

commissioned by the owner’s themselves as part of their own marketing initiatives. The

researcher faced a further constraint in terms of a conflict of interest, as the researcher

had declared to the owners that there was an association of employment with a

competitor Landlord. In the circumstance one could not reasonably expect the granting

of such permission for access, even though the scope of the study would not have

infringed any rights or confidentiality of the owners.

Taking the aforementioned into consideration, a decision was taken to limit the study to

the researcher’s employer’s regional shopping centre portfolio in Johannesburg.

Notwithstanding this association of employment, there was still a formal application for

permission made by the researcher to the employer as owner to conduct the study in

terms of ethical considerations. Four regional shopping centres were thus selected in the

Johannesburg Metropole as a result of what was accessible to the researcher, with a

geographic spread covering the west, south and north of the city as depicted in Figure

5.

4.4.2 Tier 2 Sample: Shoppers

Three shoppers were chosen from each of the four regional shopping centres to

participate in an interview, comprising the second tier sample as depicted in Figure 5. It

is generally accepted that the total of twelve participants in a qualitative study constitutes

a medium size sample, but is too small to constitute representivity although suited for

the type of research method applied to this study. The purposive sample was chosen

for its relevance to the study, and not to generalise the findings to the entire population

(Creswell, 2014).

The sample comprised both males (25%) and females (75%) of varying race groups and

ethnicity in the age group of 18-42 years old. The deliberate focus on younger consumers

is due to their large presence in shopping malls. Also, the youth have in previous studies

been seen as a consuming social group, which is the first to bend to the homogenising

pressures of globalisation such that their practices become an index of the presence and


29

reach of globalisation (Varman & Belk, 2012). The sample may thus be described as

heterogeneous in terms of geographic location, age, race and ethnicity. The sample may

be described as middle class as inferred by the geographic location of the shopping

centres as well as identified by the researcher’s subjective frame of reference. This

sample attribute suited the aim of the study in that these consumers are considered a

burgeoning class of buyers in South Africa and it is therefore important to understand

their experience in the retail arena.

Table 2 shows the date of the interviews as well as each participants’ code at the four

different shopping centres, presented in the order of occurrence.

Table 2. Interview schedule

INTERVIEW NUMBER

INTERVIEW DATE SHOPPING ENTRE (SC) NAME

PARTICIPANT (P)

CODE

1 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 1 SC1P1 2 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 1 SC1P2 3 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 1 SC1P3 4 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 2 SC2P4 5 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 2 SC2P5 6 Saturday, 17 September 2016 Shopping Centre 2 SC2P6 7 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 3 SC3P7 8 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 3 SC3P8 9 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 3 SC3P9

10 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 4 SC4P10 11 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 4 SC4P11 12 Sunday, 18 September 2016 Shopping Centre 4 SC4P12

4.5 Data Gathering Process

Ethical Considerations and Research environment

This section is presented in accordance with Creswell’s (2014) recommendations that

attention should be directed toward ethical issues at all stages of the research process,

that is prior to conducting the study; beginning a study; during data collection and data

analysis; and in reporting, sharing, and storing the data.


30

4.1.1.1 Prior to conducting the study

Written permission to approach shoppers whilst on the private property of the shopping

centres’ premises to conduct the research was sought and obtained from the owner of

the shopping centres. The purpose of the study as well as other logistical considerations

were disclosed. Refer to Appendix 2: Permission Letters from the Shopping Centre

Owner. In granting permission, it is noted that the owner of the sites selected had no

vested interest in the outcome of the study which was treated as an independent

academic exercise.

Thereafter ethical clearance was sought and obtained from the university’s Ethics

Committee prior to conducting the study. The approval from the institute to proceed with

the study is attached as Appendix 1: Ethical Clearance.

4.1.1.2 Data collection process

On the day designated to conduct the interviews, on arrival at the shopping centre, the

researcher announced (herself) at the security office, prior to commencing the interviews,

as was stipulated on the Permission Letter. Thereafter, shoppers were approached by

the researcher requesting their participation in a face-to-face thirty minute interview. In

the initial approach to participants, the researcher used subjective discretion in the

manner of engagement to ascertain the level of English language proficiency, and as

anticipated due to the location of the shopping centre in an urban area, the participants

were fluent in English. Language was a filter as the services of a translator was not

provided for.

The researcher was accompanied by a research assistant for the purpose of

documenting written highlights of the interview as a back up to the audio recordings. The

primary aim however for the use of a research assistant, was to create a safe space by

offering the presence of a third party, in which the shopper as respondent could feel

comfortable to engage in. This was deliberately decided from the shopper’s point of view,

in order to legitimise the initial approach and introduction by the researcher. Careful

consideration was given to the approach so as not to create an intimidating or nuisance

factor, bearing in mind that the shoppers were being approached by an unknown person

requesting them to sacrifice approximately thirty minutes of their personal time for the

interview, which could have been experienced as an inconvenience.


31

The researcher commenced with an introduction, displaying the student card and

explaining the purpose of the independent study to the shopper. Consideration was given

to time constraints and they were all informed beforehand that the interview would last

approximately thirty minutes. At no time was any participant coerced into participation.

The researcher used subjective filtering in ensuring that no persons under 18 was

approached, which was later verified by the participants.

This was followed with the request to audio record the interview. The content of the

consent form was explained, whereafter it was signed by the participant and researcher

as acknowledgement of their voluntary participation for which they were not being paid,

and could opt out at any time during the interview without being obliged to give a reason

(Appendix 4: Respondent Consent Form).

4.1.1.3 Interview process

The interviews were conducted at a conveniently located coffee shop in the respective

shopping centres, thus creating a neutral setting for the shopper. This setting also

provided an authentic platform in which to offer the respondent a cup of coffee as a

reasonable gesture of courtesy for their participation. This appreciative gesture was

offered to provide respect and reciprocity to the participants for their exchange of time

and data (Creswell, 2014). In this way, as a paying customer, the researcher was

afforded legitimate access to the convenience of the coffee shop for the period of the

interview, as opposed to encroaching on the premises, considering that the interviews

were being held over the coffee shops’ peak trading period on the weekend. The site

was thus respected by announcing to the manager and staff on duty what the purpose

of the engagements were, causing no disruption to the normal trading activity of the

establishment.

The semi-structured interview followed with the researcher being fully immersed in the

discussion that lasted approximately thirty minutes, deliberately not taking any written

notes so as to hold the attention of the respondent whilst observing body language and

other non-verbal communication. The researcher applied discretion in terms of probing

and exploring further beyond the time limit, guided by the level of engagement of the

respondent.


32

A conscious effort was made to ensure that all participants received the same treatment

and respect, and the researcher further created a rapport with the participant by using

simple language, avoiding any jargon terminology.

4.1.1.4 Reporting and storing data

The participants were guaranteed confidentiality in that the details of their names or any

other discerning information would not be published in the research report. In the

following chapters, the participants are thus identified and differentiated by the use of

alphanumeric codes. The researcher disassociated names from responses during the

coding process, although it may in some instances feature on the audio recording, this

is not available to the public, nor is it traceable to the individual participants, thus

protecting the identities of participants (Creswell, 2014).

The raw data of the audio-recordings as well as the transcripts will be submitted in

electronic format to the university as part of the research submission criteria and will

remain in safekeeping for a period of ten years in a confidential and access controlled

format.

4.5.2 Research Instrument

The participants were afforded the opportunity to tell their own stories in their own terms

(Mccracken, 2011), with the researcher keeping a low profile. The interviews were

conducted individually, starting with ‘grand tour’ questions (Mccracken, 2011) about

participants’ personal backgrounds and interests and then turning to their personal

histories, experiences, and beliefs regarding consumption choices, shopping behaviour

and shopping malls. All participants in the study were granted confidentiality with no

name disclosure. An interview guide was used by the interviewer to ensure that all the

pertinent areas of inquiry were covered, as well as to allow sufficient flexibility to be able

to probe for understanding and to extract deeper insights. The interviewer, through the

semi-structured interviews used discretion to adjust the course of the interview as

appropriate, in order to allow for the spontaneous emergence of themes (Saunders &

Lewis, 2012).


33

4.6 Data Analysis

4.6.1 Transcript Preparation

A professional transcription service was used to create a verbatim transcript of the

interview (Mccracken, 2011). This method was chosen to create distance between the

researcher and the data. The transcripts were verified by the researcher against the

audio-recordings for correctness and at times where the audio-recording was inaudible

to the transcriber, the researcher was able to fill in the missing text in context.

4.6.2 Analysis Tool

Atlas.ti, a Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS) was used to

code the data that emerged from the semi-structured interviews (Friese, 2012; Saunders

& Lewis, 2012). The inductive coding method was used to ascribe codes to quotes from

the participants’ transcribed responses, being guided by the text to see what codes

emerged. Patterns were then observed from a number of individual occurrences. The

400 initial codes were clustered together into 13 code families which eventually created

4 themes.

In line with the inductive philosophical approach, this exploratory research study sought

answers to the research question embedded in the data collected. The data analysis was

thus iterative with simultaneous analyses of the transcripts from the audio recordings of

the interviews, generated with the respondents’ prior consent, as well as the research

assistant’s notes in a process of emergent design.

4.6.3 Method of Analysis

The Transcripts differentiated the voice of the researcher as ‘INT’ and that of the

participant in accordance with the predetermined code before uploading to Atlas.ti as

individual Primary Documents. A combination of open coding and in-vivo coding was

used to discover the emergent themes. When applying the open coding method, a code

was created for a specific piece of text, whilst in-vivo coding used the actual text from a

specific piece of text as the code (Friese, 2012). This bottom up approach was used

purposively to discover the evidence directly from the participants, typical of an inductive

study. The first stage of the analysis focused on each utterance or response in the

interview transcripts, thus creating observations which were coded (Mccracken, 2011).


34

The initial codes were grouped into code families and thematic categorisation was then

applied to identify the patterns that emerged from the data for analysis and

recommendations. Consistent with the interpretivist philosophy, the researcher’s

intersection of identity and professional experience with shopping centres and retail

environments in relation to that of the research participants may have influenced the

depth of the narrative.

4.7 Research Validity, Reliability and Triangulation

Validity and reliability are used to establish coherence between the research design and

the research questions. Saunders and Lewis (2012) define validity as the extent to which

the research methods accurately measure what it intends to measure; and that the

research findings are aligned to the research topic. Whilst the study may have internal

or content validity, it may not have external validity due to the results not being

generalisable to the entire population (Creswell, 2014). This is not considered a

shortcoming, as it is not the intention of the study to be able to generalise the results to

the larger population, but rather to obtain rich insights and meaning into creolisation of

consumer behaviour, which was achieved by the exploratory method chosen.

Creswell (2014) describes reliability as a test for consistency of the measurement

instrument and in qualitative research, the inclusion of multiple sources of data is likely

to increase the reliability of the study. In this study, data triangulation using a multiple

method design is used to test for consistency. In order to establish reliability of the study,

the results of the semi-structured interviews were triangulated with personal observation

and an exploration of the alignment between what was found in the literature review.

Notes from the research assistant was also used as an additional data source to

triangulate the results by examining evidence as justification for themes (Creswell, 2014).

Kvale (2006) questioned the holy trinity of science being validity, reliability and

generalisability in qualitative research and recommended that researchers rather

establish trustworthiness which is encapsulated by credibility, transferability,

dependability and confirmability. In this study credibility is achieved through the diversity

of participants interviewed and the length of interviews which approximated 30 minutes.

Transferability is attained through the use of thick description which was employed to re-


35

create the interview setting so as to transport readers into a world of shared experiences.

These detailed descriptions and thoroughness in documentation of processes as

suggested by Creswell (2014), add to the trustworthiness of the research. Dependability

and confirmability is achieved by presenting an audit trail of the permission letters to

access the sites, participant consent forms, and the raw data which is the audio-

recordings accompanied by the transcripts.

4.8 Pre-testing

In order to circumvent ambiguity, the interview guide and interview approach was pre-

tested with the research assistant for understanding and clarity of meaning.

Learnings obtained during the initial interviews were applied to subsequent interviews

especially with regard to the framing of questions, so as to draw deeper participant

engagement. The researcher also checked for the participant’s understanding during the

interview, to ensure that key issues were covered in accordance with the aim of the

study.

4.9 Limitations of the study

The study explores creolisation of consumer culture from the one perspective of social

constructivism which is interpretivist in its approach and is therefore limited as it seeks

to understand current reality rather than generalise the results. The study used non-

probability sampling, which means that statistical representivity cannot be inferred or

generalised to the entire population (Saunders & Lewis, 2012), nor was it the intention

of the study to do so. Rather the intention was to seek understanding from the

participant’s subjective point of view in order to gain a diverse range of responses.

The element of researcher subjectivity in the exploratory qualitative approach, which is

a limitation (although purposively chosen to generate insights), was followed with a

triangulation of the responses via the notes recorded by the research assistant after the

interviews were completed.


36

The limitation of the shopping centre sites to the researcher’s employer’s property

portfolio may have been a limitation, however, this was circumvented by the wide spread

of the geographic reach of the portfolio selected, which covers the west, south and north

of Johannesburg.


37

5 CHAPTER FIVE: RESULTS

This chapter presents the research results in terms of the research question, which is

how is creolisation prevalent in the display of consumer identity in the South African retail

consumptionscapes? And what is the role of local and global symbols in the display of

the self in retail consumptionscapes, as well as a review of the emergent themes.

The interviews conducted for this research study have contributed useful insights into

how consumer identity and culture have creolised as a result of globalisation and the role

of local and global symbols in retail consumptionscapes.

A summary of the interviews conducted, the details of the participants and the processes

that the researcher followed to ensure the accuracy and validity of the data collection

and transcriptions is given. A discussion of the interviews follow in line with the emergent

themes from the inductive approach.

5.1 Shopping Centre Profile

Shopping Centre 1 is a large regional shopping centre in the Gauteng Region, situated

in the southern suburbs of Johannesburg comprising 185 shops in approximately

80,000m² of retail rentable area.

Shopping Centre 2 is a regional shopping centre in the northern suburbs of

Johannesburg offering over 120 shops measuring approximately 40,000m². This retail

environment targets discerning shoppers with exclusive, high-end retail. *It is recorded that although this shopping centre falls outside the parameters of a regional

shopping centre as defined by Prinsloo (2010), it was nonetheless purposively chosen for

inclusion in this study due to its unique shopper profile, thus contributing to the sample diversity.

Shopping Centre 3 in the Gauteng Region is classified as a large regional mall. It is a

premier shopping destination in the western suburbs of Johannesburg comprising

approximately 240 retail shops in approximately 90,000m² of gross lettable area. It is a

family destination offering entertainment with a full cinema complex and several up

market restaurants, fast food outlets and coffee shops.


38

Shopping Centre 4 is a large regional mall situated in the heart ofJohannesburg’s

cosmopolitan retail precinct. With 151 shops in over 60,000m² of retail space, the mall

provides amenities to a wide range of shoppers, business executives and international

visitors.

5.2 Details of Participants Interviewed

Table 3 is an illustration of the participants’ demographic profiles and assists toward

contextualising the responses. The details of the twelve participants are presented in

order of the interviews conducted.

Table 3. Details of Participants Interviewed

INTERVIEW NUMBER

PARTICIPANT CODE

PARTICIPANT DESCRIPTION

(Country of origin)

RACE ETHNICITY GENDER AGE

1 SC1P1 South African African African Female 24 2 SC1P2 South African Indian Indian Female 22 3 SC1P3 South African White Portuguese Female 42 4 SC2P4 Chinese Asian Chinese Female 18 5 SC2P5 Bulgarian White Bulgarian Female 20 6 SC2P6 South African African African Male 42 7 SC3P7 South African African African Female 34 8 SC3P8 South African Coloured Coloured Female 20 9 SC3P9 South African White White Male 26 10 SC4P10 South African African African Female 36 11 SC4P11 South African Coloured Coloured Female 24 12 SC4P12 Taiwanese Asian Taiwanese Male 30

5.3 Participants’ Profile

A descriptive analysis of the participants is given in terms of their race, gender and age

in order to demonstrate diversity in the sample.

The racial profile of the 12 participants interviewed is described as follows: 4 African, 2

Asian (1 Chinese and 1 Taiwanese), 2 Coloured (mixed race), 1 Indian and 3 White


39

Figure 5. Number of Participant’s by Race.

The participants were a majority of 75% female (9 participants), and 25% male (3

participants).

Figure 6. Gender of Participants.

The age profile of the participants ranged from 18 years old to 42 years old.

4

2 2

1

3

0

1

2

3

4

5

African Asian Coloured Indian White

NUMBER OF PARTICIPANT'S BY RACE

Female75%

Male25%

Gender of Participants


40

Figure 7. Participants’ Age Profile.

5.4 The Interview Method

The researcher conducted twelve interviews, with three shoppers from each of the four

selected shopping centres. By the tenth interview, nothing substantially new was

forthcoming, at which point the researcher took a decision to complete the twelve as

initially planned and was satisfied that data saturation was reached (Mccracken, 2011;

Saunders & Lewis, 2012). Data saturation occurs when the researcher reaches a point

of informational redundancy where additional data collection contributes little or nothing

new to the study (Gentles, Charles, Ploeg, & Mckibbon, 2015).

Table 4 provides information regarding the participants who were interviewed, sorted

according to the order of the interviews per shopping centre. A total of 328:11:00

minutes, which is 5:28:11 hours of audio recordings resulted from the interviews, which

rendered a total of 43 665 transcribed words. The average interview was 27:21 minutes

long and the average transcript length was 3 639 words. The longest interview which

corresponded to interview number 6 lasted 47:12 minutes, and the shortest interview of

10:08 minutes was the last interview. After the twelfth interview, having reached a point

of diminishing returns, as well as having concluded the number of interviews as

authorised in the Permission Letters (Appendix 2), no further interviews were conducted.

The interviews were conducted over a period of two days using the discussion guide that

was developed and in accordance with the long interview method (Mccracken, 2011).

SC1P1 SC1P2 SC1P3 SC2P4 SC2P5 SC2P6 SC3P7 SC3P8 SC3P9 SC4P10 SC4P11 SC4P12Total 24 22 42 18 20 42 34 20 26 36 24 30

05

1015202530354045

Part

icip

ant's

Age

Participants' Age Profile


41

Table 4. Audio-recording length and Word count per Interview

INTERVIEW NUMBER

PARTICIPANT CODE

DURATION (AUDIO MINUTES)

WORD COUNT

1 SC1P1 00:21:30 2276 2 SC1P2 00:30:31 3940 3 SC1P3 00:40:49 5739 4 SC2P4 00:25:14 3371 5 SC2P5 00:34:00 4636 6 SC2P6 00:47:12 5733 7 SC3P7 00:31:48 4703 8 SC3P8 00:30:17 4927 9 SC3P9 00:13:21 1713

10 SC4P10 00:21:48 3025 11 SC4P11 00:21:33 2604 12 SC4P12 00:10:08 998

5:28:11 43 665 Average 00:27:21 3 639

Total audio minutes 328:11:00

Figure 8. Word count per Transcript.

2276

3940

5739

3371

4636

5733

4703 4927

1713

30252604

998

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

Num

ber o

f wro

ds

Participant Code

WORD COUNT


42

All the interviews were conducted in person at coffee shops at the selected shopping

centres and were recorded using the digital recording function of a Samsung smartphone

that was backed up onto an external drive. The researcher did not take any notes during

the interview but marked off discussion points and areas requiring further clarity as the

interviews progressed. After the first interview, the researcher was better prepared to

conduct the interviews that followed in terms of conversation flow, which improved after

each subsequent interview. The researcher attempted to establish an authentic rapport

with each of the participants prior to commencing the interview. It was observed that all

participants although initially weary of the process, became engrossed in the

conversation, sharing even very personal accounts on their own volition. Deliberately not

taking any notes whilst the participant was speaking aided in a free flowing engagement

which appeared less like an interview and more like a casual conversation. The

researcher was able to use eye contact and other non-verbal communication to hold the

attention of the participant, signalling if more information was required or that the point

being made was noted.

Of the twelve participants, none were known to the researcher prior to the interviews.

When approached to participate in the interview, it was observed that at least five of the

twelve participants were shopping in pairs, either as a couple, as husband and wife, or

as mother and daughter. In three of the interviews, although initially engaged with the

primary participant, there were instances where they would confer with their partner,

spouse or mother, who seamlessly became engaged in the conversation. In such

instances, the researcher is mindful in terms of the analysis, as to the voice of the

participant and differentiated the second participant voice in the transcripts with the suffix

‘A’, for example, were the code SC3P2 was used to indicate the participant, SC3P2A

was used to show the voice of the participant’s mother. The setting of the coffee shop

contributed to the effortless free flow of conversation creating a comfortable ambience,

in spite of the noise level that is typical of weekend activity. Where information was at

times stuck, the researcher used floating prompts to guide the conversation.


43

5.5 Transcription and Verification

The twelve audio-recorded interviews were forwarded to a professional transcription

service provider. As each batch of transcripts were received, the researcher verified the

accuracy thereof by listening to the audio-recordings and correcting any spelling errors

and incorrectly transcribed terms.

Certain parts of the conversation marked as inaudible by the transcriber were interpreted

and completed by the researcher in context of the conversation. Elements of the

conversation that remained indecipherable, even to the researcher, have been indicated

as (inaudible). All transcripts were formatted for consistency in terms of font type and

size, margins and variation between researcher’s voice and participant’s voice. This

exercise took approximately one and a half hours per transcript thus ensuring accuracy

and thoroughness.

5.4 Transcript Coding and Analysis

The transcribed interviews were analysed using Atlas.ti, a computer aided data analysis

programme for qualitative studies, as described in section 4.6.2.

5.6.1 Transcript Preparation and Management

After verification by the researcher, all the transcripts were converted from word file

format to a RTF file format. This was to enable file compatibility for analysis on Atlas.ti

(Friese, 2012).

Each transcript was marked with INT: for the Researcher and the number of the

participant at the shopping centre, for example, SC1P1 indicates Shopping Centre 1 (as

the first of the interview sites), and P1 indicates that it was the first participant.


44

Each transcript was named according to the following naming convention:

“Shopping Centre number_Participant number_Date”

• Shopping Centre number: this is the number assigned to the shopping centre in

accordance with the order of the interview locations, of which there were four in

total.

• Participant number: this is the number assigned to the participant in accordance

with the order of the interviews conducted, of which there were twelve in total.

• Date: this is the date on which the interview was conducted. The twelve

interviews were conducted sequentially over a period of two consecutive days.

In accordance with the recommendations of Friese (2012), a Hermeneutic Project for this

research study was created whereafter the transcripts were uploaded as individual

primary documents.

5.6.2 Transcript Coding

Codes were assigned to each observation marked as a quote. Open coding and in-vivo

coding allowed for the codes to be assigned inductively as they were observed from the

participants’ utterances. These codes were then clustered into themes through a process

of thematic categorisation.

5.7 Word count Analysis

On completion of the coding, word counts were completed on all the transcripts to

ascertain the frequency of the words used during the interviews.

5.7.1 Approach The Word Cruncher analysis tool on Atlas.ti was used to draw a list of all the words that

occurred in the transcripts. The full list comprised of 39,033 words. It was decided to use

the open coding and in-vivo coding list that was transferred to Excel which was filtered

in a process of data cleansing. This initial code list of 400 codes was filtered to 379 codes

and then placed into 44 code categories. A further review generated 13 sub-themes

which were aggregated into 4 main themes for the purpose of analysis.


45

Table 5. Codes sorted into Categories, Sub-themes and Themes.

The codes aggregated into sub-themes and themes aligned to the taxonomy of what was

found in the literature review. This is confirmation that the study achieved what it set out

to accomplish in terms of the exploration in the field of consumer behaviour with specific

relevance to consumer identity and the role of local and global symbols which was

congruent with the research focus.

Categories Sub-Themes Sub-Themes (Grouped) Themes44 13 13 4

Aspiration Brand symbolism Shopping Centre Brand SymbolismBlended Food Traditions Conspicuous consumption Brand symbolismBrand Agnostic Education Luxury BrandsBrand Quality Entrepreneurship Conspicuous consumptionBrand Symbolism Ethnicity Socio-economic status Socio-economic statusConspicuous Consumption Global connectedness Role ModelsCosmopolitan Identity EducationCulture luxury brands EntrepreneurshipDiversity role models Ethnicity IdentityEconomic Status Self Identity IdentityEducation shopping centre Self IdentityEntrepreneurship social media Social Media Global ConnectednessEthnicity Socio-economic status Global connectednessEurocentricFamily structureFinancial StatusFoodFreedom of choiceGlobal BrandGlobal ConnectednessGlobal ConnectednessGlobal ConnectednessHealthinternational travelJob creationLifestyleLocal & Global BrandsLocal BrandsLuxury BrandsMasterMedia influenceRole ModelsSelf IdentityShopping CentreSocial changeSocial InequalitySocial MediaSocio-economic environmentTechnologyTraditional ClothesTraditional FoodsUbuntuUniquenessWestern Clothes


46

5.8 Transcript Thematic Analysis

In this section, a thematic analysis of the transcripts is provided in accordance with the

setting or framing of the theme in Table 6, the quotation as evidenced by the participants,

which is essentially the raw data, followed by an explanation thereof.

Table 6. Sub-Themes and Themes.

Theme 1: Brand Symbolism (Global Symbols)

It was established from the interviews that all participants were familiar with the

difference between local and global brands, as well as what constituted luxury brands.

The use of specific brand names from their responses in context of the research question

was unpacked in terms of what meaning these various brands held for them. It is noted

that the researcher followed cues from the narrative in order to delve more deeply into

specific situations without being intrusive. It is felt that this approach worked, as the

participants were forthcoming with information, some of which are listed below.

______________________________________________________________________

Sub-Themes (Grouped) Themes13 4

Shopping Centre Brand SymbolismBrand symbolismLuxury BrandsConspicuous consumptionSocio-economic status Socio-economic statusRole ModelsEducationEntrepreneurshipEthnicity IdentityIdentitySelf IdentitySocial Media Global ConnectednessGlobal connectedness


47

P 8: SC3_P8_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 8:14 [SC3P8: Ok, considering my age ..] (10:10) (Super)

Codes: [Financial constraint: student] [Migrated local to global brands]

SC3P8: Ok, considering my age and that I am kind of young, I am still a student

so before then I was shopping at your brands like Mr Price, Edgars your Foschini

you know the home brands. And from there I advanced, you know when I started

working for myself and I could afford the more expensive clothes I started

shopping at Top Shop, River Island and all of that, and Factorie, yes.

______________________________________________________________________

P 4: SC2_P4_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 4:29 [SC2P4: I think, when I walk in..] (92:92) (Super)

Codes: [Foreigner: interest in African local brands] [International brands: signals good quality]

SC2P4: I think, when I walk in a shopping mall I saw all those big brands the first

thought might be that this is a very high standard shopping mall. Ja and I guess

like if they can add more African local brands or whatever like make this more

interesting yes I guess.

P 4: SC2_P4_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 4:31 [SC2P4: Just like for us becaus..] (94:94) (Super)

Codes: [Foreigner: interest in African local brands]

SC2P4: Just like for us because I immigrate here, I am a foreigner when I walk

into a shopping mall I want to see something like very African yes?

______________________________________________________________________

P 2: SC1_P2_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 2:12 [SC1P2A: I mean in my line of w..] (39:39) (Super)

Codes: [Global brand awareness] [International Brands: expensive] [International brands: some unknown] [International

Fashion Brand] [Preference: local fashion]

No memos

SC1P2A: I mean in my line of work with a lot of brands I've just worked with

Pandora which is both an international and local brand. But I think locally of

affordability it's not recognized cause not a lot of people can afford it, and

internationally it's like wow we're a Pandora brand and billboards going up all

over the place, here we got like oh what’s Pandora again. And in international

brands when it comes to Louis Vuitton, Guess, Prada and make up and all of that

stuff sometimes it is nice to use these international brands, for me personally,

make up to fashion itself, I like using local brands cause I know the hard

work…they cause I....

______________________________________________________________________


48

P 5: SC2_P5_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 5:10 [SC2P5: We not necessarily fash..] (29:29) (Super)

Codes: [International brands: signals good quality] [International shopping centres: more variety of brands]

SC2P5: We’re not necessarily fashion forward but I think they perceive them as

a little bit conservative like we like more traditional things traditional colours,

traditional fashion, nothing that kind of pushes the boundaries, like overseas you

find things that just tend to just be more extravagant, and like different you know?

And I think that something is sort of missing here but not completely but like a

little bit you known and also just a variety you know overseas I think my mom

mentioned this as well, overseas if you go to like Zara or shops that you see here

the quality tends to also be different. So overseas the quality will usually be better

like the clothes we get from overseas last us much longer.

______________________________________________________________________

P11: SC4_P11_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 11:25 [SC4P11: I just feel obviously ..] (42:42) (Super) Codes: [Cheap international brands: poor quality] [Local brands: cheap and poor quality]

SC4P11: I just feel obviously for me the fit of it is a big thing I have tried like

Cotton on jeans and Mr Price jeans and stuff ... you can’t compare the quality

and how long the jeans lasts. Like some jeans (***) I prefer to spend like a lot of

money on quality stuff…

______________________________________________________________________

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:40 [SC2P6: There could also be not..] (97:97) (Super) Codes: [Image signals success] [Shopping Centre: brand image signals success] [Shopping Centre: business meetings] [Shopping Centre: place is important] No memos

SC2P6: There could also be not only just an image thing, there could also be a

strategy because when you come to a place like this you are also likely to meet

relevant people and it just happened to me today. I have met one of the

wealthiest Black people in this country today and got to have a conversation with

him and we exchanged business cards. It never would have been easy if I was

at a mall in Soweto so part of the pressure of wanting to be here and having an

appearance that is accessible or acceptable to the kind of clientele that is here in

order to open opportunities because you create an image of success, so it sort

of pushes the door slightly open for you in order to even start a conversation

because I don’t think I would have been able to start a conversation even with

that guy if I was just wearing work overalls, yet we are in a mall. So there had to

be an image that looked acceptable to him I mean even to stop momentarily and

grant me an ear or appreciate the comment that I was making. Then another

discussion then ensued in terms of this is what I’m doing in the business space


49

and spark that interest.

______________________________________________________________________

From the responses received, a common thread is that the participants assign the

attribute of better quality to global/ international brands in comparison to local brands.

They were also very vocal about the fact that they are prepared to pay a premium for

better quality brands.

The Chinese student commented that she would like to see more of African brands in

the retail environment, and a social media blogger (SC1P2A), preferred to see local

brands develop further, whereas the South African student/intern had elevated to a

global brand choice to more selective global labels as soon as her income improved.

This observation is true as holding symbolic value not just for products, but for the

shopping centre as a consumptionscape.

Theme 2: Socio-economic Status

5.8.2.1 Education

Education emerged as one of the themes from the Participants’ responses, having

surfaced in the interviews when prompted to tell the interviewer something about

themselves.

______________________________________________________________________

P 8: SC3_P8_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 8:50 [SC3P8: Yes we are I mean there..] (88:88) (Super)

Codes: [Coloured community has broken stereotype] [Education: key to changing social circumstances] [many

professionals in family]

SC3P8: Yes we are I mean there are more and more people in my race of the

Coloured that are becoming Engineers that are becoming doctors. I look at my

own uncle he is the HR manager for Anglo America, his brother is a qualified

psychologist, he is a clinical psychologist, he is a doctor in psychology. He also

has his own school which he is a principal at his school. So, I feel like we have accomplished so much, I mean I have already accomplished a lot by just studying further.

______________________________________________________________________


50

P 7: SC3_P7_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 7:45 [SC3P7: Yes I am in Finance, I ..] (72:72) (Super)

Codes: [education] [Postgraduate]

SC3P7: Yes I am in Finance, I got B.com Accounting and I have my Advanced

Tax Certificate and I did Project Management, I did Business Management so I

am more into studying ja…

______________________________________________________________________

P 7: SC3_P7_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 7:56 [SC3P7: He is 20… I think he is..] (104:104) (Super)

Codes: [Education: key to changing social circumstances]

SC3P7: He is 20… I think he is 23 this year and when we took him he was almost

19 after matric, ja, after his matric and then he wanted to go to Cape Town. He

went to Cape Town University. We applied for him there, we got him a bursary

there and then he… I think he got overwhelmed by the Cape Town side of it and

he failed, but I know deep down in my heart that he is a brilliant guy because he

was doing Bio Chemistry and I knew that he was going to make it, and what

happened to him is that he had to come back home… I went to Wits Business

School to do Business Management. When I saw my lecturer I spoke to him

about this little boy and he said to me, you know what Margaret?, I have got a

lady that could help you and she is a doctor and she will be able to assist you to

find him a school in a university that side in Jo’burg…

______________________________________________________________________

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:54 [SC2P6: Exposure has become ine..] (153:153) (Super)

Codes: [Social inequality]

No memos

SC2P6: Exposure has become inevitable if you live in a place like this, you have

a particular level of education, you work a particular job, you get exposed to new

ways of living a new standard, but you still know the original standards from where

you came from. So you almost have to have this personality of living (***) very

exciting environment, very Eurocentric environment and when you go back to

your folks you need to adjust to their environment because they’ve not

transcended those spaces, they are still stuck where they are. It has to do a lot

with education as well and access to resources, because their level of education


51

has not enabled them to access resources the way that you have nor have they

been able to transcend the class structure, so you must always do a roll back

every time and be able to operate in that environment whilst when you go back

to Johannesburg you must live in this opulence if you want to use the word.

______________________________________________________________________

The quotations evidenced above substantiate the importance assigned to education

within the descriptive parameter of identity. It was found that the Participants’ view

education as a precursor to financial success and by implication it becomes a lever to

gain social mobility. The responses demonstrated that education is an important

consideration for the Participants in order to improve their social status, so that they are

able to support those in their communities as well as a means to acquire the desired

goods and products. It is observed that education featured strongly in the narrative of all

Black participants.

5.8.2.2 Entrepreneurship (Global versus Local)

Linked to the narrative of Education, there is a golden thread that follows to the next set

of participant responses pertaining to Entrepreneurship as an emergent theme.

______________________________________________________________________

P 2: SC1_P2_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 2:10 [SC1P2A: It's funny cause he's ..] (36:36) (Super) Codes: [Information: social media] [Landlord support for local products] [Local Fashion Brands] [Preference: local fashion]

SC1P2A:...but for me when you talk about brands I think fashion. I think it's

natural cause I'm in the fashion industry and I'm in media so I've attended a lot of

these events. So when it comes to things like that and being in the social media

eye and what my industry would offer I do support a lot of local brands. There's

a lot of local clothes and designers that I use and like to buy most of their clothing.

P 2: SC1_P2_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 2:13 [SC1P2A: I can tell you why. Tw..] (43:43) (Super)

Codes: [Entrepreneurial aspiration] [Landlord support for local products]

SC1P2A: Two years ago I did a show, I was presenting for a show called fashion

guru which basically was the same way as fashion...What is the show

called…Project Runway. So what we would do is take designers straight out of

varsity and straight out of college and would put them against each other and


52

give them fabric and say this is what you have to do and do it in a specific time.

So because I worked on that show for so long I see the stress and the work and

planning that goes into local designers that's one of the reasons. I support them

especially if it's an...I mean after the show I used to still have a designer that I

work with, she makes my outfits and we have a good relationship. I kind of

maintained that relationship with a young local designer instead of spending on

larger brands. I'm not saying that I don't like it, I do, I just…in terms of support

wise when I think of investing my money that's what I go to, because of that

simple reason, I've seen the work that goes into it all the time and effort that goes

into the local designer.

______________________________________________________________________

P 3: SC1_P3_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 3:22 [SC1P3: How do they derive with..] (94:94) (Super)

Codes: [local brands: no local support]

SC1P3: I just think cause not enough attention gets made on the local brands.

Not enough attention is focused on what we as a country has to offer versus what

the international market does. You have international markets advertising

branded fashion on a daily basis whether it be online buying online purchases.

The accessibility for international is so much easier than in your own country and

it’s simple because who is the local brands? I go online I hear an advert about

someone I don’t even know the local brand someone advertising something on a

local brand. You go on the internet to have a look and another then another

internet advert pops up and you compare the two it’s like chalk and cheese. It’s

like watching an idols singer from South Africa versus an idols singer from the

States, the whole stage the whole atmosphere the whole ambiance is different.

So I am automatically drawn to international before I’m drawn to the local, not

enough effort is placed in what we have to offer.

______________________________________________________________________

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:66 [SC2P6: No, but we went for the..] (213:213) (Super) Codes: [Appeal to Government: to support entrepreneurship] [Praise for Masters: Afrikaners] [Social change: requires access to capital]

SC2P6: No, but we went for the short cuts, when the Afrikaners built the

industries that you see today in South Africa, they built them from scratch

supported by government policies of course. They bought the Momentums, they

bought Sanlam, Transnet, they bought Naspers they bought Banks, I mean what

has BEE bought? So the logic is we should have rather looked into production


53

because that’s where we could create opportunities. We start new productions,

what we have just done instead is to knock at the door and (***) and keep

knocking at the door please invite me, please invite us in for dinner. NO. We

should be saying let’s create our own alternatives and parallels to what these

guys created so that we can have a platform where we can talk to people. None

of these things will happen in isolation they are interlinked because to be able to

do that you need to have access to capital because (***). So government must

think about mechanisms to make capital available to emerging entrepreneurs.

______________________________________________________________________

Participants indicated that they would support local brand activity that followed from

entrepreneurial ventures and called for greater Government support.

5.8.2.3 Role Models - Ubuntu

During the various narratives, the concept of Ubuntu emerged from the interviews.

______________________________________________________________________

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:48 [SC2P6: And it’s money for hims..] (137:137) (Super)

Codes: [Ubuntu]

SC2P6: And it’s money for himself. I can even take the point further, when I go

home back to KZN during the festive season and when I send groceries for the

family, I also buy for the neighbours because my family doesn’t live exclusive of

those neighbours, so if anything ever happens to my family the neighbour will be

the first to get there so you also look at their sustenance.

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:49 [SC2P6: It’s just a difficult t..] (141:141) (Super)

Codes: [Ubuntu]

SC2P6: It’s just a difficult thing to deliver groceries to your mom’s house when

the neighbours are watching because often these people are interacting together,

they could be standing over the fence talking to each other and there you are

driving in offloading groceries and they’re watching and they may not have stuff

to eat. So you also then extend to them.


54

P 7: SC3_P7_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 7:49 [SC3P7: Yes he is in Cape Town,..] (80:80) (Super) Codes: [Emphasis on Education]

SC3P7: Yes he is in Cape Town, he is at UWC doing his third year now doing

Bcom Financial Management, he’s one of the top student there so we are more

likely into studying rather than just chilling you know just being the people that

don’t even like to study at all because we believe in advancing ourselves and

being able to be the good people out there to help others as well

______________________________________________________________________

A common thread through the various narratives of the African (Black) participants was

their implicit and explicit references to community and family well-being, or in other

words, Ubuntu, which is a philosophy that speaks directly to being human and defining

self identity through the identity of others. Their narratives demonstrate the participants’

belief that they were not able to attain any level of material well-being without sharing

the burden of responsibility for others in the community in need. Participants therefore

occupied pivotal roles in their families and communities through their ability to transition

toward an elevated socio-economic status.

Theme 3: Identity

During the course of the interviews, when deemed appropriate to weave into the

discussion, the interviewer asked the participants about their food preferences. This was

done so as to ascertain if there would be a preference toward either local (traditional)

food or a more cosmopolitan choice without asking the question directly. The quotations

listed below, show the participants’ responses.

______________________________________________________________________ P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:28 [SC1P1: That is one thing I act..] (46:46) (Super) Codes: [Conservative food preference]

SC1P1: That is one thing I actually realized I don’t like trying out new dishes,

maybe I should change that. I like to stick to one thing when it comes to food you

know with clothes I am versatile but with food not with beverages, yes.


55

P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:31 [SC1P1: Meat, chicken, pap, you..] (52:52) (Super)

Codes: [Traditional food preference]

SC1P1: Meat, chicken, pap, your rice your dumplings that’s more like it and we

could actually eat that the whole week and not have a problem with that, it’s your

typical South African meal.

______________________________________________________________________

P 6: SC2_P6_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 6:55 [SC2P6: Before I get there, you..] (161:161) (Super) Codes: [not very Traditional vs western social norms] [Shoppin Centres: restaurants expensive] [Traditional food preference]

SC2P6: Before I get there, you know when I take my mom out when I am out in

Durban and my mom comes with me to the mall or go to a restaurant like this and

order a sandwich. She will complain about the price of the sandwich and say

let’s rather go eat at home. How can you spend R40 on a sandwich? I can make

you this sandwich at home!

______________________________________________________________________ P 5: SC2_P5_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 5:32 [SC2P5: Basically in terms of B..] (69:69) (Super) Codes: [Traditional food preference: Bulgarian]

SC2P5: Basically in terms of Bulgarian food that we cook at home it consists of

ingredients that you can find here for the most parts but then there are certain

like spices that we can’t find so we will usually just get our family to send some

over because that’s what gives the Bulgarian food that specific taste

______________________________________________________________________

P12: SC4_P12_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 12:21 [SC4P12: “She is saying that we..] (62:62) (Super) Codes: [Absence of traditional Taiwanese food selection in SA]

SC4P12: “She is saying that we don’t eat in restaurants, the vegetable selection

is like… there is no vegetable selection. It’s either spinach or butternut.”

______________________________________________________________________ P 3: SC1_P3_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 3:20 [SC1P3: Definitely influenced i..] (88:88) (Super) Codes: [Connected to family overseas] [Influence of media]

SC1P3: Definitely influenced it because for an example I never knew what Creole

or what Mauritian food tasted like, ever, until I married a Mauritian, until we started

eating their food and understanding their way of cooking, so that definitely

influenced my style of cooking. So I tend to cook the same, the Portuguese

influence is from my culture, from growing up with a father who loves food, who

is a typical Continental…learning to eat your fruit’s and your veggies and your

soups before a main that has influenced me that’s cultural, that’s upbringing.


56

______________________________________________________________________ Code: Creolised food custom {1-0} P 3: SC1_P3_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 3:19 [SC1P3: It’s varied cause I’ll ..] (84:84) (Super) Codes: [Creolised food custom]

SC1P3: It’s varied cause I’ll cook Mauritian, I’ll cook Indian, I’ll cook Portuguese

and I’ll cook South African. There isn’t just one particular but if I had a choice it

would be Indian. I love Indian cuisine, I love Portuguese cuisine, so it’s a mix

there isn’t oh I only eat this or that…it’s steak and boerewors and braai.

______________________________________________________________________ The Participants showed an overwhelmingly strong affiliation to their respective

traditional foods across the different ethnic groups that were interviewed. This was

consistent for the African (Black), Portuguese/Creole, Bulgarian and Chinese

Participants quoted above. Even consistency with the (White) Portuguese participant

that was married to a Mauritian (Creole) enjoyed blended food that would ordinarily be

the practice in that culture. There is a strong grassroots connection to traditional (home)

food as a display of ethnicity amongst all the participants, even though they were well

travelled and most were expatriates in South Africa. They seem to have retained their

ethnic food preferences even though they may have integrated into the host culture in

other respects.

When asked about traditional clothes, one participant responded that it would be worn

for the occasion of the wedding only, “I mean like you can’t wear it at another day but

only on that particular day” (SC3P7). P 7: SC3_P7_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 7:17 [SC3P7: Mostly in our wedding, ..] (38:38) (Super)

Codes: [Ceremonial attire] [Clothing: both cultural and western] [Clothing: Traditional at cultural events] [Traditionally

inclined]

SC3P7: Mostly in our wedding, when I go to the wedding there was a… in the

family we normally get an invite and out of the invite they will tell you colours,

what kind of outfit should you wear, you know, the traditional wear we have. So

we would have… if we are the same surnames, we have the same surname

within that wedding side of it then we would wear the same clothes. We are

Tswana people, so we would wear the same traditional, we would wear it on that

particular day only. I mean like you can’t wear it at another day but only on that

particular day.


57

The impression to the researcher was that traditional clothes at any other time would be

out of the ordinary, certainly not the norm. ______________________________________________________________________

Theme 4: Global Connectedness

The aspects of the interviews that alluded to the participants’ global connectedness was

international travel and social media. Either they had already travelled extensively, or

was aspirant to do so as soon as their finances permitted. Being connected on a global

platform gave the participants greater depth on their world-views as well as to what

choices were available to them especially in terms of global brands.

______________________________________________________________________

P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:33 [SC1P1: I haven’t travelled due..] (64:64) (Super) Codes: [Financial constraint] [International Travel: none]

SC1P1: I haven’t travelled due to financial circumstances but I would definitely

like to travel.

_____________________________________________________________________

P 8: SC3_P8_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 8:41 [SC3P8: I do want to travel I a..] (70:70) (Super) Codes: [aspirational to travel] [Financial constraint: student]

SC3P8: I do want to trave, I’ve actually set a goal that I want to travel to at least

four continents.

______________________________________________________________________

P 5: SC2_P5_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 5:7 [SC2P5: Yes a lot we usually f..] (17:17) (Super) Codes: [Exposure to international brands] [International Travel: yes]

SC2P5: Yes (we travel) a lot. We usually focus on shopping more when we go

overseas. If we want to buy more special item like you know shoes or like a nice

clothing item or when we look at that item so we can kind of experience the time

we had again. So if we go to… like we went to Paris, we bought shoes from

Paris so that kind of thing is very important when we are travelling and also if we

feel like we can find something, if for example like we now going to Turkey…, so

we do shop a lot at overseas.

______________________________________________________________________


58

P10: SC4_P10_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 10:5 [SC4P10: “I was working for Sou..] (8:8) (Super) Codes: [Extensive international travel] [Regularly shopped International Fashion Brands]

SC4P10: I was working for South African Airways and there we used to travel

almost everywhere. So if I… so when I came back… I travelled for a couple of

years, when I came back, obviously I was struggling to get a place where…

because I was used to actually doing my shopping overseas, and I mean the

standards, the quality was totally different when I came here. And then I was

wondering where can I actually get the same quality stuff like the one that I used

to get overseas. So I’ve spend almost a year in London where we used to… that

was my first year of travelling so I spent almost a year…

______________________________________________________________________

P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:35 [SC1P1: Actually I use it very ..] (68:68) (Super) Codes: [Active use of social media] [Information: social media]

SC1P1: Actually I use it very regularly. I spend half the time on social media, I

use it very often like on a daily basis. I am not posting or sending anything but

definitely read some of the posts, it’s very informative. P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:36 [SC1P1: Definitely not Facebook..] (70:70) (Super) Codes: [Information: social media]

SC1P1: Definitely not Facebook but Instagram and Twitter P 1: SC1_P1_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 1:38 [SC1P1: Facebook I have never b..] (74:74) (Super) Codes: [Distance from social roots] [Social media: selective choice]

SC1P1: Facebook I have never been a fan I won’t lie. The fact that half the

people there I know them and they know me, they know my background

______________________________________________________________________

P 4: SC2_P4_17 Sep 2016.rtf - 4:42 [SC2P4: WhatsApp is to connect ..] (126:126) (Super) Codes: [Active use of social media] [Social media: selective choice]

SC2P4: WhatsApp is to connect with people and ja but social media maybe

Instagram I guess ja or snapchat.

______________________________________________________________________

P 8: SC3_P8_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 8:36 [SC3P8: Honestly, I prefer seei..] (56:56) (Super) Codes: [Social media: selective choice]

SC3P8: Honestly, I prefer seeing them. I am not a social media freak. The only

social media platform that I used is only Instagram. I have deactivated my

Facebook account I feel like there’s too much ads. I feel like it’s became a


59

business platform and no longer a social platform. I think for older people it’s

more useful because they can… in like connecting because they can talk to

people like over the world or family that they have in certain part of the world. But

for younger people I feel and people of my age I feel it’s become more of a

business platform. People are advertising what they are selling, they advertising

themselves, I don’t know…

______________________________________________________________________

P 9: SC3_P9_18 Sep 2016.rtf - 9:19 [SC3P9: “Not really, I only do ..] (58:58) (Super) Codes: [Social media: selective choice]

SC3P9: “Not really, I only do whatsapp because it’s part of my job so I need to

have whatsapp. But Facebook and twitter no I don’t do that. I used to have

Facebook but I am over it. I don’t like social…”

______________________________________________________________________

What featured consistently is that the participants were desirous of travel. In terms of

their use of social media, considering the younger profile, they were distancing

themselves from facebook commenting that it was a platform for their parents. They were

in favour of Instagram and Snapchat as a means to staying connected, to people and to

issues of concern and interest.


60

6 CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

6.1 Introduction

This study supports the broader theoretical claim that consumers are able to hold

multiple identities within a retail consumptionscape. The phenomenon of creolisation as

a consequence of globalisation is evidenced through the display of adoption and

aspiration toward global brands whilst maintaining a strong link to ethnicity. The

explication of cultural discourses, consumption practices and symbolic identifications

through which consumers experience and display their identities is consistent with the

literature reviewed.

The discussion of the results presented in chapter five follows in the logic of the social

constructivist method which is interpretive in its approach. This approach offers a means

to advance theoretical arguments without making universal claims (Creswell, 2014). In

the social constructivist method, the research goal is to provide a cultural analysis of the

meanings and actions that emerge in a given social context, which is the context of retail

theatre and consumptionscapes in this study. Therefore empiricist questions are not

conducive to the analytical goals of a cultural analysis and the discussion that follows

will examine the contextual meanings and experiences in light of the broader cultural

tensions that shape consumer culture. Existing theories will be drawn upon to reveal

relationships that exist in the data represented.


61

6.1 Brand Symbolism

The literature provides an extensive list of potential mediators, such as brand quality,

brand prestige, and identity symbolism. Such variables may also act as explanatory

mechanisms for the link between positive dispositions and consumer behaviour.

Participants made a strong case for affinity toward local and African brands. Although

participants assigned the attribute of superior quality to global brands, they were

nonetheless supportive of local products. Global brands symbolised advancement and

upward social mobility. Despite this association with global brands, participants’ support

for local brands shows unity and a sense of community which supercedes the

advancement associated with global brands.

This is also addressed by (Ger & Belk, 1996) in their examples from all over the world

that involve both the use of Western goods as symbols of modernity and status as well

as symbols of preserving or reviving traditional roots We may also use the lens of

Appadurai’s (1996) five global cultural flows labelled as ethnoscapes (global movements

of people as immigrants, tourists, or guestworkers), finanscapes (global movements of

money in all its forms), technoscapes (global movements of technologies and

information), mediascapes (global movements of media images), and ideoscapes (global

movements of ideologies) to understand the concept of brand symbolism.

Thus, shopping centres may be understood and appreciated as they provide the platform

where consumers experience these commercial displays which Ritzer (1996) termed

cathedrals of consumption. This aligns with Fuentes and Hagberg assertion that

shopping, place and identity shows that these commercial spaces are not only arenas

were these identities are played out, but can also be spaces in which these identities are

actively made and remade (Fuentes & Hagberg, 2013).


62

6.2 Socio-economic Status

Hudders et al (2013) makes the point that the dialectic of globalisation-localisation cannot

be understood unless we begin with how the local experiences that dialectic. They

affirmed that the luxury market is no longer the exclusive domain of the elite which is

described as the democratisation of the luxury market. This democratisation is changing

the nature of luxury because of the exclusive which has become commonplace. The

traditional definition of luxury as something that is out of the ordinary in terms of daily

living needs is therefore no longer tenable as explicated by phenomenon of conspicuous

consumption.

6.2.1 Education

Education emerged as one of the sub-themes that the Participants found pertinent to

advance their socio-economic status. As a necessary element toward advancing their

socio-economic status. Education was an important factor when describing themselves

because of its relationship to financial success and upward social mobility, which is

characteristic of consumer profiling.

In Chipp et al (2011), the study on whether the conspicuous consumption of affluent

black South Africans is associated with prior experiences of relative deprivation, found

that black South Africans were using catch up” consumption fuelled by the fear of failure.

Education is thus perceived as a sure-proof conduit by which to increase income levels

and thereby attain upward social mobility. The ability to conspicuously consume signals

one’s success to family and peers.

In South Africa, we may further understand this concept through the lens of postcolonial

theory which Varman and Belk’s (2012) study showed noteworthy findings in India, also

once a British colony. Here shopping malls in India are representative of postcolonial

sites where young consumers emulated the West in an attempt to transform their Third

World identities. This need to masquerade is satisfied by the consumptionscape of the

retail theatre which temporarily disguises and provides relief from social ills.


63

6.2.2 Entrepreneurship

Due to the entrepreneurial benefits that are enabled by supporting local brands,

Participants expressed their affinity for local brands and business ventures which

contribute to elevated social status for their community.

6.2.3 Role Models (Ubuntu)

Due to the pivotal role that participants occupied in their families and communities, they

were assigned defacto role-model status. With this expectation in place, their role

extended toward enabling a broader impact for socio-economic upliftment of the family

and communities.

6.3 Identity

The participants’ strong affiliation toward ethnic/traditional foods is noteworthy on the

basis that all expressed preference for their unique traditional foods despite a diverse

range of ethnicity that was present. However, it is a significant observation that they did

not hold the same sentiment toward traditional clothing, which was viewed more as

customary practice rather than incorporated into their daily lives, hence they did not

identify strongly with ethnic clothing out of this context.

This aligns to Xie et al (2015) where it was found that in a global environment, consumers

adopt behaviour that are part of global culture whilst simultaneously keeping their own

cultural values and customs. Participants’ retained their traditional affiliations and ethnic

expressions within close communities, but opted for more western aspects of expression

in their public spheres. This is reiterated by their display of modernity and globalness as

cosmopolitans when in the public eye, but rooted in their respective traditions when out

of view.

This is of significance to local marketers as Eckhardt (2005) maintains that as marketing

activities globalise, most of the focus of the international marketing and branding

literature tends to be on strategies for global companies and brands at the expense of

local companies and brands.


64

6.4 Global Connectedness

Participant’s expressed that through international travel and social media, they were able

to participate on a global stage. These platforms provided them a reach into

environments outside of their ordinary reach and this global connectedness helped

shape their worldviews.

McLuhans theory of the global village as discussed by Cleveland et al (2014) maintains

that the advent of the internet (and social media as an extension) has caused the

figurative shrinking of our global borders. The implications for people across borders and

oceans to connect for the sake of cultural exchange or business has become virtually

effortless. Companies would have to rethink their marketing strategies as information

flows across the various landscapes (Appadurai, 1996).

The implications for international new product introduction is that companies that

currently use a sequential rollout and typically begin from the West and proceed to the

rest of the world would have to rethink their marketing strategy. The repercussions of

the global village is that consumers have greater access to global and social media and

are now exposed to information about new products instantly, regardless of the launch

location (Kravets & Sandikci, 2014)

Cannon and Yaprak (2002) argue cosmopolitanism is not the opposite of localism.

Therefore, in their study, they considered that previous conceptions appear to have been

oversimplified, and in the process, perhaps misled marketers. What they found was that

there was no single cosmopolitan culture and offer insights via their framework of how

markets are likely to develop, through what patterns and in what proportions (Cannon &

Yaprak, 2002).

It is through this framework that we can understand and explain the paradox of the world

moving toward a more cosmopolitan orientation while simultaneously, local cultures

appear to be flourishing.


65

7 CHAPTER SEVEN: CONCLUSION

7.1 Principal findings

The purpose of this study was to explore the phenomenon of creolisation as a

consequence of globalisation. Taking a more granular approach to the topic, the focus

was on the role of local and global symbols in retail consumptionscapes and the display

of self as consumer identity. Creolisation of consumer culture was understood as

allowing consumers to express their identity through consumer behaviour in what may

be described as a blending of both global and local culture in order to create a new hybrid

culture.

The major findings of this study resulting from chapter five and the key points of the

discussion in chapter six are highlighted in this chapter. The data was iteratively

analysed for emergent themes and the interpretations thereof were confronted with the

extant literature. The findings are not intended to represent or claim universal truths but

rather are offered as recommendations to management and other stakeholders, as well

as to serve as considerations for conducting future analytical work on a much deeper

level such that the analysis is more representative.

The consumption issues that manifest from the findings are listed as follows:

Shoppers use global symbols (brands) to signal prosperity and material wellness.

Brand quality is a dominant factor in brand choice with global brands associated

with superior quality for which shoppers are willing to pay a premium price.

It was found that shoppers view education as a lever to elevate social mobility

through income, which facilitates access to global brands, which signals success.

These consumption practices are motivated by emancipatory desires to break

the cycle of poverty and transcend the current social status.

Linked to the narrative of social status, not only is there evidence for the use of

branded products as symbols of consumer identity, but as a passport to global

citizenship endorsed with evidence or the aspiration toward international travel.


66

Despite the level of global exposure, traditional food and associated family and

community engagement serves as a grassroots link to ethnic identity.

Support for local content (production, goods and brands) and entrepreneurship,

is identified as a conduit to change the country’s economic trajectory from one of

dependency to self-sufficiency and prosperity for its people. Understanding these

brand discourses through the lens of postcolonial identity is particularly relevant

for South Africa as the people transition a post-apartheid legacy.

Ubuntu as an ethic of responsibility or care toward others in the community

illustrates the understanding of connectedness of the part (the self) to the whole

(the community/country). There is an acute awareness of the social and

economic inequality that exists (experienced and observed) and a concern for

the socio-economic difficulties experienced by others. There is a perception that

the aspirational class being desirous of global brands to fulfil superficial esteem

needs, leads to financial distress. There is a resultant cautionary disposition

toward over-indebtedness.

7.2 Implications for management

The study’s implications for management and other stakeholders are listed as follows:

7.2.1 An understanding of consumer identity equips owners and marketers at shopping

centres on how to treat their retail consumptionscapes as retail theatre or

performative spaces. Therefore, the commissioning of a detailed research

approach for each market segment would yield more conclusive results.

7.2.2 An understanding of market segments and their psychographic profiles is useful

for guiding the tenant mix at the shopping centres in terms of how to match

shopper profiles with their brand preferences, bearing in mind that simple

demographics does not have sufficient depth of insights. The tenant mix of

shopping Centres provide shoppers with the resources they need for meaning

and sense-making. Retailers should thus possess the knowledge and skills on

how to improve the levels of consumer satisfaction in the long term.

7.2.3 Brands that are perceived to have a global appeal as well as a local appeal, will

have simultaneous identity communication signals. The implication for

management is to identify these brands’ superior capability to communicate this


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desired bicultural identity and build strong relationships with emerging-market

consumers.

7.2.4 Brand custodians should consider the value of glocalised strategies so as to

create appeal to young consumers of the global world. Companies that operate

on a ‘one size fits all’ strategy across geographies and cultures will face strong

competition from those that tailor-make their offerings to have local appeal. In

order to be successful in these markets, the roles of local and global brands in

the consumptionscape’s branding discourse, as well as an understanding of local

customs and values related to these identities is crucial.

7.3 Limitations of the research

7.3.1 The study explores creolisation of consumer culture from the one perspective of

social constructivism which is interpretivist in its approach and is therefore limited

as it seeks to understand current reality rather than generalise the results. The

study used non-probability sampling, which means that statistical representivity

cannot be inferred or generalised to the entire population (Saunders & Lewis,

2012), nor was it the intention of the study to do so. Rather the intention was to

seek understanding from the participant’s subjective point of view in order to gain

a diverse range of responses.

7.3.2 The study was limited to shopping centres in Johannesburg and the findings may

not be generalisable to consumers or shopping centres in other geographic

locations, for example, in non-metro areas with a different income or lifestyle

profile.

7.3.3 The element of researcher subjectivity in the exploratory qualitative approach is

ordinarily a limitation when compared to a positivist stance, and as such is

recognised as a limitation. Although in this study, it has been purposively

embraced to generate insights that added to the contextual depth.

7.3.4 Access to prospective participants was initially challenging, but those who

declined the invitation to participate due to time constraints may have in any event

been obstructive to the interview process should they have elected to participate

and then not engaged to the full extent. Conversely, the shoppers that agreed to


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participate were unexpectedly very engaged and willing to share their personal

experiences.


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7.4 Suggestions for future research

7.4.1 As the South African consumer’s exposure to the international arena expands, it

will be necessary to gauge the effects of globalisation on local brand success.

This may be further explored in a quantitative study to be able to generalise the

findings as well as to ascertain its relationship to entrepreneurship. It is generally

accepted that an emerging economy cannot consume itself to prosperity, but that

the foundation of productive capital is vital for job creation and sustainable

growth. Brand choice in the retail sector thus bears directly on the country’s ability

to encourage entrepreneurs to sustainably produce and retail local content.

7.4.2 Further explorations through a longitudinal study to track how consumer

behaviour and exposure to global brands may influence identity with the effluxion

of time will be valuable to marketers, especially those that seek to create

customer life-time loyalty with a young customer base.

7.4.3 Another area recommended for future research is the level of exposure afforded

to local content by South African shopping centres. It is evident that there is

currently little differentiation between the country’s shopping centre offerings and

that as the retail landscape becomes more competitive, it may be worthwhile

exploring the changing role of shopping centres as cathedrals of consumption of

the future.

7.4.4 Future work could focus on shoppers who have a preference for local brands,

who reject global citizenship on the basis of certain ideological positions held.

Shoppers who hold this philosophical outlook may be empowered by their active

or benign part of the anti-brand and anti-globalist movement, which is a strong

link to this study.


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It is evident that further exploration is warranted with regard to global brands attracted to

South African retailscapes, as they compete to grow their international footprint and

require to understand consumer behaviour in this complex market. That a creolised

consumer culture is a consequence of globalisation is widely accepted in academic

circles, with highlights from this study’s literature review to support it. That it is descriptive

of a culture that is simultaneously global and local, in its transition toward

commoditisation and all things western whilst still maintaining a unique sense of identity

certainly invites further reflection. It is the researcher’s hope that this study will generate

further interest to open a discussion on the characteristics and aspects of the

(transitioning) self and its display in the retail consumptionscapes.

________________


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Appendix 1: Ethical Clearance

Ethical Clearance from the GIBS Ethics Committee was received on

07 September 2016 via Infoed to proceed with the study.

A copy of the Ethical Clearance is attached below for reference.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


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Appendix 2: Permission Letters from the Shopping Centre Owner

By email: For the attention of: Yvette van der Merwe

Regional Executive – Pretoria Region Hyprop Investments Ltd 13 September 2016 Dear Yvette,

REQUEST FOR PERMISSION TO CONDUCT ACADEMIC RESEARCH I am a final year MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. We are conducting academic research on the role of local and global symbols in retail environments. The purpose of the study is to explore how globalisation has influenced consumer identity and consumer behaviour in complex markets. Permission is therefore requested from the Landlord, for access to the shopping centre/s to interview 3 shoppers for approximately 30 minutes each. The shoppers will be approached by myself to voluntarily participate in a semi-structured interview which will be confidential as neither the identities of the participants nor that of the shopping centre will be disclosed. Further, they will not receive any compensation for their participation and may withdraw at any time during the interview or elect not to answer any question without being obliged to give a reason and without any penalty. The participants will be required to sign a consent form acknowledging these terms (see attached). A tentative date for the interviews is set for either the 17th or 18th September 2016, pending the scheduling of the other 3 participating shopping centres. Should permission be granted by yourself to proceed with the interviews, I will confirm the date beforehand, as well as announce myself at the security office on the day with my student identification card and this letter signed by yourself as proof that I have obtained the requisite permission. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact myself or my supervisor on the contact details provided below. Researcher contact details: Research supervisor contact details: Linda Moodley Kerry Chipp 082 928 4931 082 330 8759 [email protected] [email protected] Thank you for your kind consideration. I look forward to your reply. Yours faithfully, Linda Moodley Should permission be granted, please sign and return to [email protected] Permission is hereby granted to Linda Moodley as the primary researcher, to conduct academic research at Clearwater Mall on the basis of the above-mentioned terms, toward fulfilment of the Master of Business Administration at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. _________________________ _____________________ ______________ Regional Executive, or Signature Date authorised representative: for and on behalf of the Landlord (Name in Full)


mailto:[email protected]



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Appendix 3: Respondent Consent Form

Consent Form Dear Participant,

I am a final year MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria. We are conducting academic research on the role of local and global symbols in retail environments, to which you are invited to participate. The purpose of the study is to explore how globalisation has influenced consumer identity and consumer behaviour in complex markets. The findings from the research will be relevant to marketers for product positioning and branding considerations. I would therefore appreciate approximately 30 minutes of your time to voluntarily participate in a semi-structured interview, the information of which will be confidential as your identity will not be disclosed. You will not receive any compensation for your participation and may withdraw at any time during the interview or elect not to answer any question without being obliged to give a reason and without any penalty. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or my supervisor on the contact details provided below. Researcher contact details: Linda Moodley 082 928 4931 [email protected] Research supervisor contact details: Kerry Chipp 082 330 8759 [email protected] I hereby confirm that I will participate in the research and agree to be interviewed by the researcher on the basis of the above-mentioned terms. I also give my consent for the interview to be audio recorded for the purpose of the research study only. ______________________________ _________________________ Signature of Participant Date ______________________________ _________________________ Linda Moodley (Researcher) Date


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Appendix 4: Interview Guide

INTERVIEW GUIDE Interviews to be conducted with 12 consumers across 4 Regional Shopping Centres in the Johannesburg Metropole. Briefing I am a final year MBA student at the Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of

Pretoria. We are conducting academic research on the role of local and global symbols

in retail environments, to which you are invited to participate.

The purpose of the study is to explore how globalisation has influenced consumer identity

and consumer behaviour in complex markets. The findings from the research will be

relevant to marketers for product positioning and branding considerations

I would therefore appreciate at least 30 minutes of your time to voluntarily participate in

a semi-structured interview, the information of which will be confidential as your identity

will not be disclosed. You will not receive any compensation for your participation and

may withdraw at any time during the interview or elect not to answer any question without

being obliged to give a reason and without any penalty.

QUESTIONS AND PROMPTS QUESTION 1: Tell me about your visit to the mall today. How do you view coming to the mall? Is it an outing? Tell me about it. QUESTION 2: What are you looking for? What are your favourite stores? Where do you like to socialise? QUESTION 3: Tell me about who you meet at the mall. Tell me about what you are wearing. Did you plan it? What do your friends say about it? QUESTION 4: What do you think about South African brands? Which ones do you buy? Tell me about global brands. Which ones do you buy? Tell me about them.


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